Islamic State has claimed responsibility for blast in a mosque in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif city. In other news, billionaire Elon Musk has obtained $46.5 billion in funding for the purchase of Twitter Inc. and is exploring a tender offer for its shares. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Mariupol had been successfully liberated. Read this and more in out Top 10 world news

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-islamic-state-claims-responsibility-for-mazar-e-sharif-mosque-blast-472753">Afghanistan: Islamic State claims responsibility for Mazar-e-Sharif mosque blast</a>

Islamic State released a statement on its Telegram channel and claimed responsibility for Mazar-e-Sharif mosque blast

<img alt="IS" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9783d2aa-d4dc-45be-bdb1-5c82fd63284d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Islamic%20state.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-takeover-elon-musk-secures-465bn-to-buy-twitter-in-hostile-bid-472777">Twitter takeover: Elon Musk secures $46.5bn to buy Twitter in hostile bid</a> 
 
Elon Musk has secured commitments for $46.5bn that would allow him to bypass Twitter’s board and go directly to the social media company’s shareholders with his takeover bid.

<img alt="Musk" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b750da31-e333-442e-b1a8-bc9855afa4de" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Elon%20Musk.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india/covid-19-in-india-amid-fourth-wave-fears-new-variants-of-the-omicron-possibly-emerging-in-new-delhi-472730">COVID-19 in India: Amid fourth wave fears, new variants of the Omicron 'possibly emerging' in New Delhi</a> 
 
Fourth COVID-19 wave? The health expert suggested that there are eight variants of Omicron and one of them is dominating and causing the surge in cases in New Delhi.

<img alt="Covid" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1ad87971-3096-45b9-94e6-e25312f30f77" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Covid.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mariupol-successfully-liberated-says-putin-as-russia-captures-port-city-472668">'Mariupol successfully liberated', says Putin, as Russia captures port city</a> 
 
Taking full control of Mariupol on the Azov Sea would be a major strategic victory for Russia, helping it to connect annexed Crimea to the territories of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

<img alt="Mariupol" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0a57ec8a-2643-463c-a93e-cb41c62718ac" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Mariupol_0.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/11-year-old-boy-survives-landslide-by-staying-inside-fridge-for-20-hours-in-philippines-472756">11-year-old boy survives landslide by staying inside fridge for 20 hours in Philippines</a> 
 
Furthermore, nearly 200 local people have been injured and 172 people have been killed in the Baybay area alone as a result of the storm

<img alt="Boy" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="49a39de9-f998-413d-bc78-f8009feb2bf3" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Fridge.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-police-nearly-killed-600-people-since-2017-during-traffic-stops-reports-472747">US police nearly killed 600 people since 2017 during traffic stops: Reports</a> 
 
According to the data, there were 97 fatal traffic stops in the year 2017, 114 in 2018, 117 in 2019, 119 in 2020, 117 in 2021 and 25 till April 2022

<img alt="US police" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b704ed6a-850a-4bbb-a45e-7379cea49e52" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Screenshot%202022-04-21%20212755.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-did-donald-trump-really-walk-out-of-explosive-interview-with-piers-morgan-heres-the-truth-472742">Watch: Did Donald Trump really walk out of explosive interview with Piers Morgan? Here's the truth</a> 
 
Trump told Morgan: "I think I'm a very honest man … much more honest than you, actually"&nbsp;

<img alt="Trump" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="63a87f9e-115e-41c6-a30a-34aecba865ae" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Trump.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fakes-and-far-right-content-russia-fines-google-for-ukraine-videos-472719">'Fakes and far-right content': Russia fines Google for Ukraine videos</a> 
 
A Russian court has fined Alphabet Inc.'s Google 11 million roubles ($137,763) for failing to delete what it terms "fake" information about the conflict in Ukraine and YouTube videos produced by Ukrainian far-right groups, TASS reported.

<img alt="Google" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8e2d6d55-8e01-4e94-824d-30e4f7d9d0f2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Google.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/arizona-wildfires-seize-on-chaotic-winds-and-parched-forests-472717">Arizona wildfires seize on chaotic winds and parched forests</a> 
 
Wind-driven springtime wildfires are tearing through parched evergreens and brush across Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, burning scores of homes and forcing thousands of people to flee during a fire season that is growing longer and more destructive as climate change dries out the West&nbsp;

<img alt="Arizona" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36370497-0bf4-4532-943c-7b668980adc1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Arizona.png" />

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-johnny-depp-claims-ex-wife-amber-heard-would-threaten-suicide-everytime-they-had-an-argument-472766">Johnny Depp claims ex wife Amber Heard would threaten 'suicide' everytime they had an argument</a> 
 
Johnny Depp added that everytime during a fight when he would attempt to leave, Amber Heard would stop him and tell him she would “die” without him.

<img alt="Depp" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9cd55889-a4df-41ea-b90b-a0249a53dc0a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Depp.png" /> 
&nbsp;

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for blast in a mosque in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif city. In other news, billionaire Elon Musk has obtained $46.5 billion in funding for the purchase of Twitter Inc.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for blast in a mosque in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif city. In other news, billionaire Elon Musk has obtained $46.5 billion in funding for the purchase of Twitter Inc. and is exploring a tender offer for its shares. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Mariupol had been successfully liberated. Read this and more in out Top 10 world news Afghanistan: Islamic State claims responsibility for Mazar-e-Sharif mosque blast Islamic State released a statement on its Telegram channel and claimed responsibility for Mazar-e-Sharif mosque blast Twitter takeover: Elon Musk secures $46.5bn to buy Twitter in hostile bid Elon Musk has secured commitments for $46.5bn that would allow him to bypass Twitter’s board and go directly to the social media company’s shareholders with his takeover bid. COVID-19 in India: Amid fourth wave fears, new variants of the Omicron 'possibly emerging' in New Delhi Fourth COVID-19 wave? The health expert suggested that there are eight variants of Omicron and one of them is dominating and causing the surge in cases in New Delhi. 'Mariupol successfully liberated', says Putin, as Russia captures port city Taking full control of Mariupol on the Azov Sea would be a major strategic victory for Russia, helping it to connect annexed Crimea to the territories of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. 11-year-old boy survives landslide by staying inside fridge for 20 hours in Philippines Furthermore, nearly 200 local people have been injured and 172 people have been killed in the Baybay area alone as a result of the storm US police nearly killed 600 people since 2017 during traffic stops: Reports According to the data, there were 97 fatal traffic stops in the year 2017, 114 in 2018, 117 in 2019, 119 in 2020, 117 in 2021 and 25 till April 2022 Watch: Did Donald Trump really walk out of explosive interview with Piers Morgan? Here's the truth Trump told Morgan: "I think I'm a very honest man … much more honest than you, actually" 'Fakes and far-right content': Russia fines Google for Ukraine videos A Russian court has fined Alphabet Inc.'s Google 11 million roubles ($137,763) for failing to delete what it terms "fake" information about the conflict in Ukraine and YouTube videos produced by Ukrainian far-right groups, TASS reported. Arizona wildfires seize on chaotic winds and parched forests Wind-driven springtime wildfires are tearing through parched evergreens and brush across Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, burning scores of homes and forcing thousands of people to flee during a fire season that is growing longer and more destructive as climate change dries out the West Johnny Depp claims ex wife Amber Heard would threaten 'suicide' everytime they had an argument Johnny Depp added that everytime during a fight when he would attempt to leave, Amber Heard would stop him and tell him she would “die” without him.

Top 10 world news: IS claims Mazar-e-Sharif blast, Elon Musk latest, more news

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for blast in a mosque in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif city located in Balkh province. The group has released a statement on its Telegram channel. As per an Afghan health official quoted by Reuters, the blast caused at least 11 deaths.&nbsp;

A Shi'ite mosque was targetted in the blast.

"The soldiers of the caliphate managed to get a booby-trapped bag" inside the mosque, detonating it from afar after it was packed with worshippers, the group said in a statement.

"Blood and fear are everywhere," Ahmad Zia Zindani, spokesman for the Balkh provincial public health department, told AFP, adding "people were screaming" while seeking news of their relatives at the hospital.

"Relatives of victims were arriving at city hospitals looking for their near and dear ones. Many residents were also coming to donate blood," Zindani said.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-over-30-killed-as-multiple-blasts-hit-kabul-balkh-and-kunduz-472672">Afghanistan: Over 30 killed as multiple blasts hit Kabul, Balkh and Kunduz</a>

Afghanistan was rocked by three&nbsp;blasts on Thursday including the one in Mazar-e-Sharif.

In Kunduz, at least four people were killed and 18 wounded by a blast police spokesman Obaidullah Abedi told AFP was caused by a bicycle bomb targeting a vehicle carrying mechanics working for the Taliban.

Shiite Hazara community, which makes up between 10 to 20 per cent of the Afghan population, has often been targetted by the Islamic State group which considers them to be heretics.

Taliban officials insist their forces have defeated IS, but analysts say the jihadist group is a key security challenge.&nbsp;

Since seizing power, the Taliban have regularly raided suspected IS hideouts in the eastern Nangarhar province.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for blast in a mosque in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif city located in Balkh province. The group has released a statement on its Telegram channel.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for blast in a mosque in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif city located in Balkh province. The group has released a statement on its Telegram channel. As per an Afghan health official quoted by Reuters, the blast caused at least 11 deaths. A Shi'ite mosque was targetted in the blast. "The soldiers of the caliphate managed to get a booby-trapped bag" inside the mosque, detonating it from afar after it was packed with worshippers, the group said in a statement. "Blood and fear are everywhere," Ahmad Zia Zindani, spokesman for the Balkh provincial public health department, told AFP, adding "people were screaming" while seeking news of their relatives at the hospital. "Relatives of victims were arriving at city hospitals looking for their near and dear ones. Many residents were also coming to donate blood," Zindani said. Also Read | Afghanistan: Over 30 killed as multiple blasts hit Kabul, Balkh and Kunduz Afghanistan was rocked by three blasts on Thursday including the one in Mazar-e-Sharif. In Kunduz, at least four people were killed and 18 wounded by a blast police spokesman Obaidullah Abedi told AFP was caused by a bicycle bomb targeting a vehicle carrying mechanics working for the Taliban. Shiite Hazara community, which makes up between 10 to 20 per cent of the Afghan population, has often been targetted by the Islamic State group which considers them to be heretics. Taliban officials insist their forces have defeated IS, but analysts say the jihadist group is a key security challenge. Since seizing power, the Taliban have regularly raided suspected IS hideouts in the eastern Nangarhar province. (With inputs from agencies)

Afghanistan: Islamic State claims responsibility for Mazar-e-Sharif mosque blast

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an explosion that it said killed or injured 30 people at a market where alcohol was sold in Taraba State, Nigeria, marking an expansion of the area where the extremist group operates in the country.

Northeast Nigeria, especially the states of Borno and Yobe, have been in the grip of Islamist insurgencies for over a decade, but Taraba, located at the eastern end of Nigeria's Middle Belt central region, has not previously been attacked.

The explosion took place on Tuesday in Iware, a rural town, and local police initially said three people were killed and 19 injured. They could not immediately be reached on Thursday to comment on the Islamic State claim or casualty count.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nigeria-seminary-student-dies-while-re-enacting-jesus-christs-crucifixion-471916">Nigeria: Seminary student&nbsp;dies while re-enacting Jesus Christ's crucifixion</a>

In a statement posted late on Wednesday on a Telegram messaging channel used by Islamic State to distribute its propaganda, the group described those who detonated the bomb in the market as "soldiers of the caliphate in central Nigeria".

The statement said the attack had struck "a gathering of infidel Christians" and expressed satisfaction that the drinking spot had been damaged. It did not break down the casualty figure into dead and injured.

Watch |&nbsp;Social enterprise in Kenya treats human waste, turns waste into fuel

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/social-enterprise-in-kenya-treats-human-waste-turns-waste-into-fuel-471906/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">&nbsp;</div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">The whole of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has been suffering from a rise in crime and violence, exacerbated by the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.</div>

Armed robberies are rife everywhere, kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common, and the northwest has been hit by mass abductions of children from schools as well as indiscriminate attacks on towns and village by armed gangs.

The worst and longest-running crisis, however, is in the northeast, where rival Islamist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) have killed, abducted and looted on a massive scale whilst fighting against the Nigerian military.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nigeria-condemns-reports-of-racism-at-ukraine-border-457416">Nigeria condemns reports of racism at Ukraine border</a>

In the latest attack, on the town of Geidam in Yobe State, Boko Haram fighters came in the early hours of Thursday and burnt down a school and several private buildings, according to two residents and two security sources.

The residents said a local drinking spot selling beer had been attacked. One said he had seen nine dead bodies, while the other said he had seen several dead including two women. The authorities were yet to release a death toll.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an explosion that it said killed or injured 30 people at a market where alcohol was sold in Taraba State, Nigeria, marking an expansion of the area where the extremist group operates in the country.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an explosion that it said killed or injured 30 people at a market where alcohol was sold in Taraba State, Nigeria, marking an expansion of the area where the extremist group operates in the country. Northeast Nigeria, especially the states of Borno and Yobe, have been in the grip of Islamist insurgencies for over a decade, but Taraba, located at the eastern end of Nigeria's Middle Belt central region, has not previously been attacked. The explosion took place on Tuesday in Iware, a rural town, and local police initially said three people were killed and 19 injured. They could not immediately be reached on Thursday to comment on the Islamic State claim or casualty count. Also read | Nigeria: Seminary student dies while re-enacting Jesus Christ's crucifixion In a statement posted late on Wednesday on a Telegram messaging channel used by Islamic State to distribute its propaganda, the group described those who detonated the bomb in the market as "soldiers of the caliphate in central Nigeria". The statement said the attack had struck "a gathering of infidel Christians" and expressed satisfaction that the drinking spot had been damaged. It did not break down the casualty figure into dead and injured. Watch | Social enterprise in Kenya treats human waste, turns waste into fuel The whole of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has been suffering from a rise in crime and violence, exacerbated by the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Armed robberies are rife everywhere, kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common, and the northwest has been hit by mass abductions of children from schools as well as indiscriminate attacks on towns and village by armed gangs. The worst and longest-running crisis, however, is in the northeast, where rival Islamist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) have killed, abducted and looted on a massive scale whilst fighting against the Nigerian military. Also read | Nigeria condemns reports of racism at Ukraine border In the latest attack, on the town of Geidam in Yobe State, Boko Haram fighters came in the early hours of Thursday and burnt down a school and several private buildings, according to two residents and two security sources. The residents said a local drinking spot selling beer had been attacked. One said he had seen nine dead bodies, while the other said he had seen several dead including two women. The authorities were yet to release a death toll.

Islamic State claims Nigeria bombing, says about 30 killed or hurt

Syrian fighters who fought against the Islamic State have allegedly signed up to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine.

These include soldiers, former rebels, and experienced fighters from the 5th Division and the Quds Brigade that fought in Syria. Among them is members of the division of Brigadier General Suheil al-Hassan called the ''Tiger Force'' in Syria.

He was praised by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Syria in 2017. Al-Hassan had played a crucial role in defeating militants in the country's civil war.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukraine-ignores-russias-surrender-call-for-mariupol-471839/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

According to Ahmad Hamada, a Syrian army defector, “Russia is preparing for a greater battle.”

A Ukrainian diplomat told the news agency Reuters, "We are asking the Turkish side to monitor what they are bringing from Syria to Russia."

Almost 40,000 people from Syria have registered for combat training in Russia as per the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/city-still-has-not-fallen-mariupol-may-be-a-red-line-in-talks-says-ukraine-471755" hreflang="en">'City still has not fallen': Mariupol may be a red line in talks, says Ukraine</a>

Its head Rami Abdurrahman said, “The Russians are looking for experienced fighters. They don’t want anyone who was not trained by the Russians.”

Kremlin had said that it has also received approximately 16,000 applications from the Middle East.

Alexander Dvarnikov, Putin's newly appointed general overseeing Ukraine, had also commanded Russia's military in Syria.

US-based think thank Institute for the Study of War stated in its latest report, “Any change in the posture of Russian forces or pro-regime militias creates security gaps that anti-regime actors including Turkey, ISIS, al-Qaida, and Syrian opposition groups can exploit.”

(With inputs from agencies)

Syrian fighters who fought against the Islamic State have allegedly signed up to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. These include soldiers, former rebels, and experienced fighters from the 5th Division and the Quds Brigade that fought in Syria.

Syrian fighters who fought against the Islamic State have allegedly signed up to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. These include soldiers, former rebels, and experienced fighters from the 5th Division and the Quds Brigade that fought in Syria. Among them is members of the division of Brigadier General Suheil al-Hassan called the ''Tiger Force'' in Syria. He was praised by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Syria in 2017. Al-Hassan had played a crucial role in defeating militants in the country's civil war. According to Ahmad Hamada, a Syrian army defector, “Russia is preparing for a greater battle.” A Ukrainian diplomat told the news agency Reuters, "We are asking the Turkish side to monitor what they are bringing from Syria to Russia." Almost 40,000 people from Syria have registered for combat training in Russia as per the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Also read | 'City still has not fallen': Mariupol may be a red line in talks, says Ukraine Its head Rami Abdurrahman said, “The Russians are looking for experienced fighters. They don’t want anyone who was not trained by the Russians.” Kremlin had said that it has also received approximately 16,000 applications from the Middle East. Alexander Dvarnikov, Putin's newly appointed general overseeing Ukraine, had also commanded Russia's military in Syria. US-based think thank Institute for the Study of War stated in its latest report, “Any change in the posture of Russian forces or pro-regime militias creates security gaps that anti-regime actors including Turkey, ISIS, al-Qaida, and Syrian opposition groups can exploit.” (With inputs from agencies)

Syrian fighters who fought against Islamic State sign up to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine: Report

US Jury convicted former British citizen El Shafee Elsheikh for his role in notorious Islamic state hostage-taking plot that led to the beheading of American journalists and aid workers.

Islamic state 'Beatles' cell member convicted in US, guilty for abuse & death of 4 Americans

A member of Islamic State was convicted in US (Virginia) on Thursday for beheading hostages.

El Shafee Elsheikh, who had been stripped of his British citizenship, was a member of Islamic State terrorist cell nicknamed "The Beatles" for their British accents. He took part in the infamous Islamic State hostage-taking plot that led to the beheading of American journalists and aid workers.

ElSheikh's trial went on for six-week and the jury took four hours to deliberate before declaring him guilty. The trial saw testimonies from some former hostages who were released by the "Beatles" after long negotiations. They spoke about the torture they endured. Family members of the deceased victims also testified.

Elsheikh was born in Sudan and raised in London. His British citizenship was withdrawn in 2018. He was accused of killing four American hostages: James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller.

Foley and Sotloff were journalists while Kassig was an aid worker. These men were killed in videotaped beheadings. The US officials have said that Kayla Mueller was raped repeatedly by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. She died in Syria.

Another of the cell's members, Alexanda Kotey, was held in Iraq by the US military before being flown to the United States to face trial. Kotey pleaded guilty last September to the murders of Foley, Sotloff, Mueller and Kassig.

During opening arguments in the U.S. trial, Elsheikh's lawyer Ed MacMahon called him a "simple ISIS fighter" and tried to cast doubt on whether he was one of the "Beatles." The captors wore masks and had similar accents, making it difficult for hostages to identify them, he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

A member of Islamic State was convicted in US (Virginia) on Thursday for beheading hostages. El Shafee Elsheikh, who had been stripped of his British citizenship, was a member of Islamic State terrorist cell nicknamed "The Beatles" for their British accents.

A member of Islamic State was convicted in US (Virginia) on Thursday for beheading hostages. El Shafee Elsheikh, who had been stripped of his British citizenship, was a member of Islamic State terrorist cell nicknamed "The Beatles" for their British accents. He took part in the infamous Islamic State hostage-taking plot that led to the beheading of American journalists and aid workers. ElSheikh's trial went on for six-week and the jury took four hours to deliberate before declaring him guilty. The trial saw testimonies from some former hostages who were released by the "Beatles" after long negotiations. They spoke about the torture they endured. Family members of the deceased victims also testified. Elsheikh was born in Sudan and raised in London. His British citizenship was withdrawn in 2018. He was accused of killing four American hostages: James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. Foley and Sotloff were journalists while Kassig was an aid worker. These men were killed in videotaped beheadings. The US officials have said that Kayla Mueller was raped repeatedly by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. She died in Syria. Another of the cell's members, Alexanda Kotey, was held in Iraq by the US military before being flown to the United States to face trial. Kotey pleaded guilty last September to the murders of Foley, Sotloff, Mueller and Kassig. During opening arguments in the U.S. trial, Elsheikh's lawyer Ed MacMahon called him a "simple ISIS fighter" and tried to cast doubt on whether he was one of the "Beatles." The captors wore masks and had similar accents, making it difficult for hostages to identify them, he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Islamic State 'Beatles' cell member found guilty of beheading hostages

US Jury convicted former British citizen El Shafee Elsheikh for his role in notorious Islamic state hostage taking plot that led to beheading of American journalists and aid workers

ISIS 'Beatles' cell member convicted in US, guilty of killing four American hostages

11 Israeli citizens were killed in 3 separate terrorist attacks over 8 days. What explains this new wave of violence in Israel? How does Naftali Bennett plan to respond? Palki Sharma tells you.

Gravitas: Israel PM asks citizens to arm themselves

The United Nations peacekeeping force in&nbsp;Mali&nbsp;has&nbsp;deployed&nbsp;two units to the African country's tri-border area with Burkina Faso and Niger to respond to a&nbsp;spate&nbsp;of civilian&nbsp;killings, it said on Thursday.

A surge in attacks since early March by an Islamic State affiliate has left hundreds of civilians dead, according to official and military sources. The region has long been a hotspot of jihadist and militia violence in West Africa.

"The security situation in the Tri-border area... particularly in the localities of Tessit, Talataye, Ansongo and the Menaka region, has deteriorated considerably in recent weeks," said the&nbsp;U.N. peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-27-killed-33-wounded-in-militant-attack-in-central-mali-459152">At least 27 killed, 33 wounded in militant attack in central Mali</a>

MINUSMA&nbsp;deployed&nbsp;one unit to the area over a week ago and was in the process of deploying another on Thursday, it said, adding that the attacks have resulted in "dozens of deaths".

Civilians have been targeted during a cycle of reprisal attacks between ethnic Tuareg militia groups, including the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA), and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), according to MSA and local sources.

At least 500 civilians have been killed in the last three weeks in the regions of Gao and Menaka, said a military source, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak.

A government official in Gao region said about 200 civilians were killed in the commune of Talataye between March 21 and 25, and thousands more displaced.

"We are expecting to be assassinated at any moment," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Mali's army conducted airstrikes in the Menaka region on March 13, which it said helped break the momentum of "terrorist groups". It has not given a death toll from the fighting.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mali-army-says-8-soldiers-killed-nearly-60-terrorists-neutralised-454750">&nbsp;Mali army says 8 soldiers killed, nearly 60 'terrorists neutralised'</a>

Mali&nbsp;has faced instability since 2012, when Islamists hijacked an ethnic Tuareg rebellion in the north. French troops intervened to push them out of the cities they occupied, but they have since regrouped and spread across the Sahel region.

Mali's army has also been accused of killing civilians. A coalition of Tuareg groups on Wednesday issued a list of 17 people it said were arrested and executed by soldiers last weekend in the town of Ansongo.

A spokesman for the army did not respond to calls from Reuters. The army said in a statement on March 29 that it was investigating allegations of human rights abuses in the area and reinforcing protection of civilians in Menaka and Gao.

The army has faced similar accusations by the United Nations and human rights groups, and has in some cases acknowledged that its forces were implicated in executions.

Watch |&nbsp;Mali asks France to expedite pulling out of troops from country

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/mali-asks-france-to-expedite-pulling-out-of-troops-from-country-454523/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali has deployed two units to the African country's tri-border area with Burkina Faso and Niger to respond to a spate of civilian killings, it said on Thursday.

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali has deployed two units to the African country's tri-border area with Burkina Faso and Niger to respond to a spate of civilian killings, it said on Thursday. A surge in attacks since early March by an Islamic State affiliate has left hundreds of civilians dead, according to official and military sources. The region has long been a hotspot of jihadist and militia violence in West Africa. "The security situation in the Tri-border area... particularly in the localities of Tessit, Talataye, Ansongo and the Menaka region, has deteriorated considerably in recent weeks," said the U.N. peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA. Also read | At least 27 killed, 33 wounded in militant attack in central Mali MINUSMA deployed one unit to the area over a week ago and was in the process of deploying another on Thursday, it said, adding that the attacks have resulted in "dozens of deaths". Civilians have been targeted during a cycle of reprisal attacks between ethnic Tuareg militia groups, including the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA), and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), according to MSA and local sources. At least 500 civilians have been killed in the last three weeks in the regions of Gao and Menaka, said a military source, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak. A government official in Gao region said about 200 civilians were killed in the commune of Talataye between March 21 and 25, and thousands more displaced. "We are expecting to be assassinated at any moment," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Mali's army conducted airstrikes in the Menaka region on March 13, which it said helped break the momentum of "terrorist groups". It has not given a death toll from the fighting. Also read | Mali army says 8 soldiers killed, nearly 60 'terrorists neutralised' Mali has faced instability since 2012, when Islamists hijacked an ethnic Tuareg rebellion in the north. French troops intervened to push them out of the cities they occupied, but they have since regrouped and spread across the Sahel region. Mali's army has also been accused of killing civilians. A coalition of Tuareg groups on Wednesday issued a list of 17 people it said were arrested and executed by soldiers last weekend in the town of Ansongo. A spokesman for the army did not respond to calls from Reuters. The army said in a statement on March 29 that it was investigating allegations of human rights abuses in the area and reinforcing protection of civilians in Menaka and Gao. The army has faced similar accusations by the United Nations and human rights groups, and has in some cases acknowledged that its forces were implicated in executions. Watch | Mali asks France to expedite pulling out of troops from country

UN peacekeepers deployed to northeastern Mali amid spate of killings

Trial of an alleged Islamic State terrorist who was member of a group that beheaded US hostages in Iraq and Syria began on Tuesday in the US. The group was known as "The Beatles" for their British accent.

El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, will stand trial in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, on charges including lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder.

Elsheikh was one of four ISIS militants belonging to the four-member Islamic State cell. The cell garnered international attention after releasing videos of the murders of US&nbsp;journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig, among other victims.

Two of the cell's four members, Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, were held in Iraq by the US&nbsp;military before being flown to the United States to face trial.

Mohammed Emwazi, a British citizen who oversaw the executions, died in a drone strike in 2015. Aine Lesley Davis, the fourth member of the group, was convicted in Turkey on terrorism charges and jailed.

Kotey pleaded guilty in September 2021 to the murders of Foley, Sotloff, Mueller and Kassig. He will be sentenced next month.

Kotey was a citizen of the United Kingdom, but the British government withdrew his citizenship.

The charges against Elsheikh, a UK citizen, carry a potential death sentence, but US&nbsp;prosecutors have advised British officials that they will not seek the death penalty against Elsheikh or Kotey.

US&nbsp;District Judge TS&nbsp;Ellis will oversee the trial, and is expected to spend Tuesday questioning potential jurors to ensure a fair trial.

Elsheikh's lawyers have said the killings were planned and carried out by Emwazi at the behest of Islamic State leadership.

(With inputs from agencies)

Trial of an alleged Islamic State terrorist who was member of a group that beheaded US hostages in Iraq and Syria began on Tuesday in the US. The group was known as "The Beatles" for their British accent.

Trial of an alleged Islamic State terrorist who was member of a group that beheaded US hostages in Iraq and Syria began on Tuesday in the US. The group was known as "The Beatles" for their British accent. El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, will stand trial in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, on charges including lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder. Elsheikh was one of four ISIS militants belonging to the four-member Islamic State cell. The cell garnered international attention after releasing videos of the murders of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig, among other victims. Two of the cell's four members, Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, were held in Iraq by the US military before being flown to the United States to face trial. Mohammed Emwazi, a British citizen who oversaw the executions, died in a drone strike in 2015. Aine Lesley Davis, the fourth member of the group, was convicted in Turkey on terrorism charges and jailed. Kotey pleaded guilty in September 2021 to the murders of Foley, Sotloff, Mueller and Kassig. He will be sentenced next month. Kotey was a citizen of the United Kingdom, but the British government withdrew his citizenship. The charges against Elsheikh, a UK citizen, carry a potential death sentence, but US prosecutors have advised British officials that they will not seek the death penalty against Elsheikh or Kotey. US District Judge TS Ellis will oversee the trial, and is expected to spend Tuesday questioning potential jurors to ensure a fair trial. Elsheikh's lawyers have said the killings were planned and carried out by Emwazi at the behest of Islamic State leadership. (With inputs from agencies)

Member of Islamic State 'Beatles' cell stands trial in US

On Thursday, the Islamic State organisation revealed for the first time that its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in a US strike in northern Syria last month and designated his successor.

It was the extremist group's first formal statement on its commander, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, since American officials reported he blew himself up along with members of his family during a raid on his hideout in the northern Syrian town of Atmeh, near the Turkish border, on February 3.&nbsp;

IS spokesman Abu Omar al-Muhajer confirmed the leader's death, as well as that of the group's former spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, in an audio recording broadcast Thursday.

IS has picked a successor to the former leader, according to Al-Muhajer, who identified him as Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and said the late IS head chose him to be the future caliph.

There was no immediate information about the new commander, and it was unclear whether he, like his two predecessors, was an Iraqi. Both were murdered in rebel-held areas of Syria.&nbsp; 
 
Watch | Gravitas: The Islamic State has China on its hit list

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-islamic-state-has-china-on-its-hit-list-423131/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The US strike last month was the second time in three years that the US has killed a prominent IS leader.

There is no evidence that any of the al-Qurayshis are related.

Al-Qurayshi is not their genuine name, but it is derived from Quraish, the tribe of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

IS claims to have leaders from this tribe, and "al-Qurayshi" is part of an IS leader's surname.

"He has embraced the leadership," al-Muhajer stated of the new IS commander, who remained anonymous.&nbsp;

In the US raid, about 50 U.S. special operations forces landed in helicopters and attacked a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen. In all, 13 people were killed, including six children and four women. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced from Syria’s civil war.

At the height of its power, after declaring an Islamic caliphate in 2014, IS controlled a third of both Syria and Iraq and ruled over 8 million people.

Since their defeat in 2019, the militants have struggled to mount a resurgence, staging deadly attacks in both Syria and Iraq. In January, IS launched a complex assault on a prison in northeast Syria holding at least 3,000 IS detainees and setting off 10 days of clashes with U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish-led fighters. The battles killed more than 120 Syrian Kurdish fighters and prison workers, along with 374 militants.

(With inputs from agencies)

On Thursday, the Islamic State organisation revealed for the first time that its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in a US strike in northern Syria last month and designated his successor.

On Thursday, the Islamic State organisation revealed for the first time that its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in a US strike in northern Syria last month and designated his successor. It was the extremist group's first formal statement on its commander, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, since American officials reported he blew himself up along with members of his family during a raid on his hideout in the northern Syrian town of Atmeh, near the Turkish border, on February 3. IS spokesman Abu Omar al-Muhajer confirmed the leader's death, as well as that of the group's former spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, in an audio recording broadcast Thursday. IS has picked a successor to the former leader, according to Al-Muhajer, who identified him as Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and said the late IS head chose him to be the future caliph. There was no immediate information about the new commander, and it was unclear whether he, like his two predecessors, was an Iraqi. Both were murdered in rebel-held areas of Syria. Watch | Gravitas: The Islamic State has China on its hit list The US strike last month was the second time in three years that the US has killed a prominent IS leader. There is no evidence that any of the al-Qurayshis are related. Al-Qurayshi is not their genuine name, but it is derived from Quraish, the tribe of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. IS claims to have leaders from this tribe, and "al-Qurayshi" is part of an IS leader's surname. "He has embraced the leadership," al-Muhajer stated of the new IS commander, who remained anonymous. In the US raid, about 50 U.S. special operations forces landed in helicopters and attacked a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen. In all, 13 people were killed, including six children and four women. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced from Syria’s civil war. At the height of its power, after declaring an Islamic caliphate in 2014, IS controlled a third of both Syria and Iraq and ruled over 8 million people. Since their defeat in 2019, the militants have struggled to mount a resurgence, staging deadly attacks in both Syria and Iraq. In January, IS launched a complex assault on a prison in northeast Syria holding at least 3,000 IS detainees and setting off 10 days of clashes with U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish-led fighters. The battles killed more than 120 Syrian Kurdish fighters and prison workers, along with 374 militants. (With inputs from agencies)

Islamic State confirms its leader was killed in Syria, names new chief

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the explosion at a Shiite mosque in Peshawar city of Pakistan that killed at least 57&nbsp;people and injured more than 200.

The suicide blast occurred around 190 kilometres (120 miles) to the east of Rawalpindi where Australia and Pakistan are playing the first Test cricket match.

"Today Friday, an Islamic State fighter succeeded in assaulting a Shiite mosque in Peshawar," in northwestern Pakistan, the transnational jihadist group said on its Amaq propaganda site.

The explosion took place on Friday after two terrorists opened fire at police officers near Peshawar.

After that, one of them entered the building and staged the explosion.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-mosque-blast-death-toll-rises-to-56-dozens-injured-458888">Pakistan mosque blast: Death toll rises to 56, dozens injured</a>

The explosion happened at a time when worshipers had gathered at the Kucha Risaldar mosque to offer Friday prayers, according to the Dawn newspaper.

The injured were rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital.

In a statement, advisor to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Muhammad Ali Saif said that the terrorists first tried to enter the mosque and exchanged fire with the police.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the suicide blast, saying "houses of worship should be havens, not targets".

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australia-tour-of-pakistan-in-jeopardy-ca-monitoring-situation-after-peshawar-mosque-blast-458979">&nbsp;Australia tour of Pakistan in jeopardy? CA monitoring situation after Peshawar mosque blast</a>

Peshawar is just 50 kilometres from the porous border with Afghanistan. It was a frequent target of militants in the early 2010s but security has greatly improved in recent years.&nbsp;

The deadly suicide bombing comes at a time when cricketing nations have been reluctant to send their teams to Pakistan over security concerns, ever since the Sri Lankan team was attacked in 2009.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the explosion at a Shiite mosque in Peshawar city of Pakistan that killed at least 57 people and injured more than 200.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the explosion at a Shiite mosque in Peshawar city of Pakistan that killed at least 57 people and injured more than 200. The suicide blast occurred around 190 kilometres (120 miles) to the east of Rawalpindi where Australia and Pakistan are playing the first Test cricket match. "Today Friday, an Islamic State fighter succeeded in assaulting a Shiite mosque in Peshawar," in northwestern Pakistan, the transnational jihadist group said on its Amaq propaganda site. The explosion took place on Friday after two terrorists opened fire at police officers near Peshawar. After that, one of them entered the building and staged the explosion. Also read | Pakistan mosque blast: Death toll rises to 56, dozens injured The explosion happened at a time when worshipers had gathered at the Kucha Risaldar mosque to offer Friday prayers, according to the Dawn newspaper. The injured were rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital. In a statement, advisor to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Muhammad Ali Saif said that the terrorists first tried to enter the mosque and exchanged fire with the police. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the suicide blast, saying "houses of worship should be havens, not targets". Also read | Australia tour of Pakistan in jeopardy? CA monitoring situation after Peshawar mosque blast Peshawar is just 50 kilometres from the porous border with Afghanistan. It was a frequent target of militants in the early 2010s but security has greatly improved in recent years. The deadly suicide bombing comes at a time when cricketing nations have been reluctant to send their teams to Pakistan over security concerns, ever since the Sri Lankan team was attacked in 2009. (With inputs from agencies)

Islamic State claims responsibility for Peshawar mosque suicide blast that killed 57

The next leader of the Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;is likely to be from a close circle of battle-hardened Iraqi jihadists who emerged in the aftermath of the 2003 US&nbsp;invasion, two Iraqi security officials and three independent analysts said.

The group of potential successors to Abu Ibrahim al-Quraishi, who blew himself up during a US&nbsp;operation to capture him in Syria last week, includes one commander whom Washington and Baghdad declared killed last year, the Iraqi officials said.

The death of Quraishi, 45, was another crushing blow to IS two years after the violent Sunni Muslim group lost longtime leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a similar raid in 2019.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/al-qaedas-zawahiri-surfaces-in-video-again-calls-on-muslims-to-champion-cause-of-oppressed-451610">Also read |&nbsp;Al Qaeda's Zawahiri surfaces in video again; calls on Muslims to champion cause of 'oppressed'</a>

Quraishi, an Iraqi, never publicly addressed his fighters or followers, avoided electronic communications and oversaw a move to fighting in small devolved units in response to intense pressure from Iraqi and US-led forces.

But those following&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;closely expect it to name a successor in coming weeks, as the group which imposed brutal rule over vast swathes of Iraq and Syria from 2014 to 2017 continues a stubborn and deadly insurgency INSIGHT-Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;hits back, aided by power vacuum in Iraq and Syria in the Middle East.

Fadhil Abu Rgheef, an Iraqi expert who advises its security services, said there were at least four possible successors.

"These include ... Abu Khadija, whose last known role was Iraq leader for&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State, Abu Muslim, its leader for Anbar province, and another called Abu Salih, of whom there's very little information but who was close to Baghdadi and Quraishi," he said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/islamic-state-claims-responsibility-for-causing-kabul-power-outage-423341">Also read |&nbsp;Islamic State claims responsibility for causing Kabul power outage</a>

"There's also Abu Yassir al-Issawi, who is suspected to be still alive. He's valuable to the group as he has long military experience."

Issawi's death in an air strike in January 2021 was reported at the time by both Iraqi forces as well as the U.S.-led military coalition fighting&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;in Iraq and Syria.

But an Iraqi security official confirmed there were strong suspicions Issawi is still alive. "If he's not dead he'd be a candidate, he's tried and tested in planning military attacks and has thousands of supporters," the official said.

Security sweep

The official added that&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;was likely carrying out a security sweep for potential leaks that led to the death of Quraishi before convening to choose or announce a successor.

Hassan Hassan, editor of New Lines magazine which has published research on Quraishi, said the new leader would be a veteran Iraqi jihadist.

"If they choose one in the coming weeks they'll have to choose someone from among the same circle ... the group that was part of the Anbari group which operated under (the name) ISIS since the early days," he said.

Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;emerged from the militants that waged an increasingly Sunni Islamist, sectarian-driven insurgency against U.S. troops and Iraqi forces after 2003.

The&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;of Iraq, also known as al Qaeda in Iraq, was an offshoot of the global al Qaeda organisation of Osama Bin Laden and the precursor to ISIS, which took shape in the chaos of Syria's civil war across the border.

Baghdadi and Quraishi, both members of al Qaeda in Iraq from the start, did time in U.S. detention in the mid-2000s. In contrast, none of the four potential successors to Quraishi had been captured by US&nbsp;forces, one security official and one army colonel told Reuters.

Officials and analysts in various countries agree&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;is under more pressure than it's ever been and will never restore its self-styled caliphate. But they are divided on how significant a setback Quraishi's death is for the group.

Some say the fight against ISIS will suck in the United&nbsp;States and its allies for years to come as it develops into a permanent insurgency with new leaders ready to take the reins.

"In Syria,&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;units work as a devolved network of individual groups in order to avoid them being targeted. We don't therefore believe that Quraishi's death will have an enormous impact," one of the Iraqi security officials said.

"It's also become more difficult to follow them because they've long stopped using mobile phones for communication."

Since their territorial defeat in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019,&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;leaders have found it increasingly easy to move between the two countries, helped by a gap in areas of control between different armed forces, some officials say.

Security and military officials said the 600 km (372 mile)long border with Syria made it a very hard for Iraqi forces to prevent militants infiltrating via underground tunnels.

New leadership style

Lahur Talabany, former counter-terrorism chief for Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, said some IS leaders can travel on a route across the full expanse of Iraq.

"When you see attacks increasing in a particular area I wouldn't be surprised if somebody important has been through that region," he told Reuters. "The caliphate was defeated but ISIS was never eradicated. I don't believe we managed to finish the job."

Islamic&nbsp;State’s possession of land in Iraq and Syria set it apart from other like-minded groups such as al Qaeda and became central to its mission when it declared a caliphate in 2014, claiming sovereignty over all Muslim lands and peoples.

Fiercely anti-Western, the group also draws on Sunni-Shi’ite tensions, saying Shi’ites were infidels who deserve to be killed.

Abu Rgheef said the new leader could have stronger military credentials than Quraishi, who Iraqi officials say was seen by followers as more of an&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;legal mind than a military man.

"Attacks and operations will change in character depending on the style of the new leader. The new one might believe in big and intensive attacks, bombs or suicide bombers," he said.

Despite Quraishi's low profile and operational secrecy, his killing is likely to affect the group's fighters, analysts say.

Hassan said Quraishi's removal would reduce morale. "ISIS is also locked into personalities and who's most trusted," he said.

Aaron Zelin, senior fellow at the Washington Institute, said a figurehead is very important to ISIS.

"Whenever a leader of the group is killed, your oath is to the (next) leader, the individual themselves, and not to the group."

The next leader of the Islamic State is likely to be from a close circle of battle-hardened Iraqi jihadists who emerged in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion, two Iraqi security officials and three independent analysts said.

The next leader of the Islamic State is likely to be from a close circle of battle-hardened Iraqi jihadists who emerged in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion, two Iraqi security officials and three independent analysts said. The group of potential successors to Abu Ibrahim al-Quraishi, who blew himself up during a US operation to capture him in Syria last week, includes one commander whom Washington and Baghdad declared killed last year, the Iraqi officials said. The death of Quraishi, 45, was another crushing blow to IS two years after the violent Sunni Muslim group lost longtime leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a similar raid in 2019. Also read | Al Qaeda's Zawahiri surfaces in video again; calls on Muslims to champion cause of 'oppressed' Quraishi, an Iraqi, never publicly addressed his fighters or followers, avoided electronic communications and oversaw a move to fighting in small devolved units in response to intense pressure from Iraqi and US-led forces. But those following Islamic State closely expect it to name a successor in coming weeks, as the group which imposed brutal rule over vast swathes of Iraq and Syria from 2014 to 2017 continues a stubborn and deadly insurgency INSIGHT-Islamic State hits back, aided by power vacuum in Iraq and Syria in the Middle East. Fadhil Abu Rgheef, an Iraqi expert who advises its security services, said there were at least four possible successors. "These include ... Abu Khadija, whose last known role was Iraq leader for Islamic State, Abu Muslim, its leader for Anbar province, and another called Abu Salih, of whom there's very little information but who was close to Baghdadi and Quraishi," he said. Also read | Islamic State claims responsibility for causing Kabul power outage "There's also Abu Yassir al-Issawi, who is suspected to be still alive. He's valuable to the group as he has long military experience." Issawi's death in an air strike in January 2021 was reported at the time by both Iraqi forces as well as the U.S.-led military coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. But an Iraqi security official confirmed there were strong suspicions Issawi is still alive. "If he's not dead he'd be a candidate, he's tried and tested in planning military attacks and has thousands of supporters," the official said. Security sweep The official added that Islamic State was likely carrying out a security sweep for potential leaks that led to the death of Quraishi before convening to choose or announce a successor. Hassan Hassan, editor of New Lines magazine which has published research on Quraishi, said the new leader would be a veteran Iraqi jihadist. "If they choose one in the coming weeks they'll have to choose someone from among the same circle ... the group that was part of the Anbari group which operated under (the name) ISIS since the early days," he said. Islamic State emerged from the militants that waged an increasingly Sunni Islamist, sectarian-driven insurgency against U.S. troops and Iraqi forces after 2003. The Islamic State of Iraq, also known as al Qaeda in Iraq, was an offshoot of the global al Qaeda organisation of Osama Bin Laden and the precursor to ISIS, which took shape in the chaos of Syria's civil war across the border. Baghdadi and Quraishi, both members of al Qaeda in Iraq from the start, did time in U.S. detention in the mid-2000s. In contrast, none of the four potential successors to Quraishi had been captured by US forces, one security official and one army colonel told Reuters. Officials and analysts in various countries agree Islamic State is under more pressure than it's ever been and will never restore its self-styled caliphate. But they are divided on how significant a setback Quraishi's death is for the group. Some say the fight against ISIS will suck in the United States and its allies for years to come as it develops into a permanent insurgency with new leaders ready to take the reins. "In Syria, Islamic State units work as a devolved network of individual groups in order to avoid them being targeted. We don't therefore believe that Quraishi's death will have an enormous impact," one of the Iraqi security officials said. "It's also become more difficult to follow them because they've long stopped using mobile phones for communication." Since their territorial defeat in Iraq in 2017 and Syria in 2019, Islamic State leaders have found it increasingly easy to move between the two countries, helped by a gap in areas of control between different armed forces, some officials say. Security and military officials said the 600 km (372 mile)long border with Syria made it a very hard for Iraqi forces to prevent militants infiltrating via underground tunnels. New leadership style Lahur Talabany, former counter-terrorism chief for Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, said some IS leaders can travel on a route across the full expanse of Iraq. "When you see attacks increasing in a particular area I wouldn't be surprised if somebody important has been through that region," he told Reuters. "The caliphate was defeated but ISIS was never eradicated. I don't believe we managed to finish the job." Islamic State’s possession of land in Iraq and Syria set it apart from other like-minded groups such as al Qaeda and became central to its mission when it declared a caliphate in 2014, claiming sovereignty over all Muslim lands and peoples. Fiercely anti-Western, the group also draws on Sunni-Shi’ite tensions, saying Shi’ites were infidels who deserve to be killed. Abu Rgheef said the new leader could have stronger military credentials than Quraishi, who Iraqi officials say was seen by followers as more of an Islamic legal mind than a military man. "Attacks and operations will change in character depending on the style of the new leader. The new one might believe in big and intensive attacks, bombs or suicide bombers," he said. Despite Quraishi's low profile and operational secrecy, his killing is likely to affect the group's fighters, analysts say. Hassan said Quraishi's removal would reduce morale. "ISIS is also locked into personalities and who's most trusted," he said. Aaron Zelin, senior fellow at the Washington Institute, said a figurehead is very important to ISIS. "Whenever a leader of the group is killed, your oath is to the (next) leader, the individual themselves, and not to the group."

Islamic State likely to pick battle-hardened Iraqi as next leader: Report

For a man who sought to disappear, the leader of the Islamic State group seemed to have done everything right.

He hid out far from where his enemies expected. He never left the house, relying on trusted couriers to communicate with his far-flung underlings. He was the group’s only leader to never issue a video or voice address, for fear it would make him easier to track. Most of his most fervent followers would not have recognized him on the street.

But American commandos came for him anyway, and on Thursday, the leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, blew himself up during a raid on his hideout in northwestern Syria, U.S. officials said.

American leaders hailed al-Qurayshi’s death as a fresh wound to a fearsome organization whose reach and power had already been greatly diminished. But terrorism analysts warned that killing yet another leader would not erase a group whose members have continued to seek refuge and plan attacks in chaotic parts of the globe.

“It is another painful blow to an organization that just a few years ago cast a broad shadow across the entire region,” said Pratibha Thaker, editorial director for the Middle East and Africa at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “But I think everyone is wondering deep down how much taking down the top leader really matters since the organization is very decentralized.”

The United States has invested great resources in killing leaders of terrorist organizations. U.S. forces took out Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaida, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who led al-Qaida in Iraq, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, al-Qurayshi’s predecessor at the helm of the Islamic State group.

While such attacks generate dramatic headlines, the groups they sought to undermine have often resurfaced in new and more powerful forms or simply replaced old heads with new ones, Hydra-style.

The killing of al-Qurayshi deprived the Islamic State of a key religious and military authority at a time when the group had already been routed from its territory and lost a huge number of fighters. Now it faces a potential leadership vacuum.

But terrorism experts said the group had become more diffuse and decentralized, allowing it to carry on. Even if it no longer has the power to hold territory as it once did, diminishing its ability to market itself as a “state,” it has proved that it can still carry out devastating, coordinated military attacks.

In recent weeks, its fighters in Iraq killed 10 Iraqi soldiers and an officer in a nighttime attack on an army post and beheaded a police officer on camera. In Syria, the jihadis attacked a prison in an attempt to free thousands of their former comrades and occupied the compound for more than a week before a Kurdish-led militia supported by the United States drove them out.

Still, the group is a shadow of its former self.

At its height around 2015, the Islamic State controlled a territory the size of Britain in Syria and Iraq and displaced al-Qaida as the world’s richest and most dangerous terrorist organization. It controlled large cities, collected taxes, provided public services and built a war machine.

Its propagandists attracted aspiring jihadis from around the world. Its operatives directed and inspired deadly attacks in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

The loss of its last patch of territory in 2019, after 4 1/2 years of war, was a major defeat. Now, it is a caliphate in name only. And persistent attacks by the United States and its partners in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere have disrupted its financing networks and led to the deaths of many of its cadres.

Al-Qurayshi was anointed the group’s leader, or caliph, in 2019 after his predecessor, al-Baghdadi, similarly blew himself up during a raid by U.S. Special Forces on his hideout in northwestern Syria.

From the start, al-Qurayshi lacked his predecessor’s public profile, and even his followers knew little about his background. The United States filled in some gaps by releasing notes of interrogation sessions from when he was detained by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2008.

But the revelations that he said he had served in the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein and earned a master’s degree in Islamic studies in 2007 were overshadowed by what appeared to be his willingness to inform on his fellow jihadis.

After al-Qurayshi took control, the United States put a bounty of up to $10 million on his head and said he “helped drive and justify the abduction, slaughter and trafficking of members of Yazidi religious minority groups” in Iraq and oversaw “the group’s global operations.”

As it searches for a replacement, the militant group no longer has a large pool to draw from because years of concerted counterterrorism operations by the United States and its partners have killed so much of the group’s inner circle, an expert on the Islamic State, Hassan Hassan, wrote Thursday in New Lines, an online magazine.

“The leaders it can trust are a dying breed — quite literally,” Hassan wrote.

That leadership vacuum, the waning attractiveness of international jihadism and the increasing strength of enemy governments and competing militant groups could hinder the group’s ability to bounce back, he wrote. “The death of its leader under these circumstances will further disorient the group and weaken its ability to focus on international terrorism.”

The group already appears to be less dangerous in Iraq, according to a recent analysis of attack data by Michael Knights, the Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and his colleague, Alex Almeida.

They found that Islamic State attacks increased in 2019 and 2020, but have declined since, in both quantity and quality.

“For now, at the outset of 2022, the Islamic State insurgency in Iraq is at a very low ebb, with recorded attack numbers that rival the lowest ever recorded,” they wrote.

They said increased Iraqi security deployments in rural areas, frequent counterterrorism raids and “decapitation strikes” against Islamic State leaders had contributed to the decline.

But terrorism analysts hesitate to write off the group, noting that it was regarded as a spent force just a few years before it came roaring back and solidified its control over entire cities in Syria and Iraq in 2014.

The group has long found it easiest to operate in failed states, conflict zones and poorly governed places, and its fighters still have many such territories to choose from, including in Afghanistan and parts of Africa.

In Syria, it remains most active in the east, which was badly battered in the country’s 10-year civil war and is only loosely controlled by a Kurdish-led militia whose administration is not internationally recognized and is short on resources.

The draw of chaotic places likely explains why al-Qurayshi sought refuge in Idlib province, in Syria’s northwest, miles from his organization’s past strongholds.

The area is one of the last territories still controlled by the rebels who set out to topple President Bashar Assad, and it is packed with millions of people who fled from elsewhere during the war, making it easier for strangers to blend in.

The Islamic State’s future could depend less on who its leaders are than on the opportunities for expansion that present themselves, and the group’s ability to take advantage of them.

“What we have seen in the jihadi movement on the whole over the last two decades is that it is highly pragmatic in the pursuit of its goals,” said Shiraz Maher, author of a book on the history of the global jihadi movement. “Their next move is to continue to hold out and bide their time and react to the realities as they pan out.”

For a man who sought to disappear, the leader of the Islamic State group seemed to have done everything right. He hid out far from where his enemies expected. He never left the house, relying on trusted couriers to communicate with his far-flung underlings.

For a man who sought to disappear, the leader of the Islamic State group seemed to have done everything right. He hid out far from where his enemies expected. He never left the house, relying on trusted couriers to communicate with his far-flung underlings. He was the group’s only leader to never issue a video or voice address, for fear it would make him easier to track. Most of his most fervent followers would not have recognized him on the street. But American commandos came for him anyway, and on Thursday, the leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, blew himself up during a raid on his hideout in northwestern Syria, U.S. officials said. American leaders hailed al-Qurayshi’s death as a fresh wound to a fearsome organization whose reach and power had already been greatly diminished. But terrorism analysts warned that killing yet another leader would not erase a group whose members have continued to seek refuge and plan attacks in chaotic parts of the globe. “It is another painful blow to an organization that just a few years ago cast a broad shadow across the entire region,” said Pratibha Thaker, editorial director for the Middle East and Africa at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “But I think everyone is wondering deep down how much taking down the top leader really matters since the organization is very decentralized.” The United States has invested great resources in killing leaders of terrorist organizations. U.S. forces took out Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaida, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who led al-Qaida in Iraq, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, al-Qurayshi’s predecessor at the helm of the Islamic State group. While such attacks generate dramatic headlines, the groups they sought to undermine have often resurfaced in new and more powerful forms or simply replaced old heads with new ones, Hydra-style. The killing of al-Qurayshi deprived the Islamic State of a key religious and military authority at a time when the group had already been routed from its territory and lost a huge number of fighters. Now it faces a potential leadership vacuum. But terrorism experts said the group had become more diffuse and decentralized, allowing it to carry on. Even if it no longer has the power to hold territory as it once did, diminishing its ability to market itself as a “state,” it has proved that it can still carry out devastating, coordinated military attacks. In recent weeks, its fighters in Iraq killed 10 Iraqi soldiers and an officer in a nighttime attack on an army post and beheaded a police officer on camera. In Syria, the jihadis attacked a prison in an attempt to free thousands of their former comrades and occupied the compound for more than a week before a Kurdish-led militia supported by the United States drove them out. Still, the group is a shadow of its former self. At its height around 2015, the Islamic State controlled a territory the size of Britain in Syria and Iraq and displaced al-Qaida as the world’s richest and most dangerous terrorist organization. It controlled large cities, collected taxes, provided public services and built a war machine. Its propagandists attracted aspiring jihadis from around the world. Its operatives directed and inspired deadly attacks in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. The loss of its last patch of territory in 2019, after 4 1/2 years of war, was a major defeat. Now, it is a caliphate in name only. And persistent attacks by the United States and its partners in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere have disrupted its financing networks and led to the deaths of many of its cadres. Al-Qurayshi was anointed the group’s leader, or caliph, in 2019 after his predecessor, al-Baghdadi, similarly blew himself up during a raid by U.S. Special Forces on his hideout in northwestern Syria. From the start, al-Qurayshi lacked his predecessor’s public profile, and even his followers knew little about his background. The United States filled in some gaps by releasing notes of interrogation sessions from when he was detained by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2008. But the revelations that he said he had served in the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein and earned a master’s degree in Islamic studies in 2007 were overshadowed by what appeared to be his willingness to inform on his fellow jihadis. After al-Qurayshi took control, the United States put a bounty of up to $10 million on his head and said he “helped drive and justify the abduction, slaughter and trafficking of members of Yazidi religious minority groups” in Iraq and oversaw “the group’s global operations.” As it searches for a replacement, the militant group no longer has a large pool to draw from because years of concerted counterterrorism operations by the United States and its partners have killed so much of the group’s inner circle, an expert on the Islamic State, Hassan Hassan, wrote Thursday in New Lines, an online magazine. “The leaders it can trust are a dying breed — quite literally,” Hassan wrote. That leadership vacuum, the waning attractiveness of international jihadism and the increasing strength of enemy governments and competing militant groups could hinder the group’s ability to bounce back, he wrote. “The death of its leader under these circumstances will further disorient the group and weaken its ability to focus on international terrorism.” The group already appears to be less dangerous in Iraq, according to a recent analysis of attack data by Michael Knights, the Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and his colleague, Alex Almeida. They found that Islamic State attacks increased in 2019 and 2020, but have declined since, in both quantity and quality. “For now, at the outset of 2022, the Islamic State insurgency in Iraq is at a very low ebb, with recorded attack numbers that rival the lowest ever recorded,” they wrote. They said increased Iraqi security deployments in rural areas, frequent counterterrorism raids and “decapitation strikes” against Islamic State leaders had contributed to the decline. But terrorism analysts hesitate to write off the group, noting that it was regarded as a spent force just a few years before it came roaring back and solidified its control over entire cities in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The group has long found it easiest to operate in failed states, conflict zones and poorly governed places, and its fighters still have many such territories to choose from, including in Afghanistan and parts of Africa. In Syria, it remains most active in the east, which was badly battered in the country’s 10-year civil war and is only loosely controlled by a Kurdish-led militia whose administration is not internationally recognized and is short on resources. The draw of chaotic places likely explains why al-Qurayshi sought refuge in Idlib province, in Syria’s northwest, miles from his organization’s past strongholds. The area is one of the last territories still controlled by the rebels who set out to topple President Bashar Assad, and it is packed with millions of people who fled from elsewhere during the war, making it easier for strangers to blend in. The Islamic State’s future could depend less on who its leaders are than on the opportunities for expansion that present themselves, and the group’s ability to take advantage of them. “What we have seen in the jihadi movement on the whole over the last two decades is that it is highly pragmatic in the pursuit of its goals,” said Shiraz Maher, author of a book on the history of the global jihadi movement. “Their next move is to continue to hold out and bide their time and react to the realities as they pan out.”

Leader’s death is another blow for the Islamic State, but it’s hardly the end

More than 300 people have been killed in Syria since the prison attack by the Islamic State. On 20th Jan 2022 terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State launched its biggest assault since 2019.

More than 300 people killed in Syria since prison attack

A woman in the United States has been charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist group as she is accused of leading an all-female Islamic State battalion in Syria.&nbsp;

The US Justice Department announced on Saturday (January 29) and informed that the woman has been identified as Allison Fluke-Ekren, formerly of the US state of Kansas.&nbsp;

As per the justice department, Ekren had been named in a sealed criminal complaint filed in 2019 in a federal Virginia court and if convicted of the charges, she will face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.&nbsp;

The documents revealed that she had planned an attack on a US college campus and spoke of organising a devastating attack on an American shopping mall.&nbsp;

As per court documents, she travelled to Syria for the purpose of committing or supporting terrorism and had allegedly been involved with a number of terrorism-related activities on behalf of ISIS from at least 2014.

The statement said the 42-year-old Fluke-Ekren had been apprehended previously in Syria but was transferred into FBI custody on Friday.&nbsp;

As per the statement, she is expected to make her initial appearance before the US District Court for Eastern Virginia, in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, on Monday at 2:00pm (local time). &nbsp;

A woman in the United States has been charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist group as she is accused of leading an all-female Islamic State battalion in Syria.

A woman in the United States has been charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist group as she is accused of leading an all-female Islamic State battalion in Syria. The US Justice Department announced on Saturday (January 29) and informed that the woman has been identified as Allison Fluke-Ekren, formerly of the US state of Kansas. As per the justice department, Ekren had been named in a sealed criminal complaint filed in 2019 in a federal Virginia court and if convicted of the charges, she will face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The documents revealed that she had planned an attack on a US college campus and spoke of organising a devastating attack on an American shopping mall. As per court documents, she travelled to Syria for the purpose of committing or supporting terrorism and had allegedly been involved with a number of terrorism-related activities on behalf of ISIS from at least 2014. The statement said the 42-year-old Fluke-Ekren had been apprehended previously in Syria but was transferred into FBI custody on Friday. As per the statement, she is expected to make her initial appearance before the US District Court for Eastern Virginia, in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, on Monday at 2:00pm (local time).

US woman charged with aiding Islamic State, she was allegedly planning attacks

Clashes erupted between Kurdish forces and Islamic State fighters near a prison in Syria, said Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. The prison where the fighting broke out has dozens of jihadists holed up.

An IS assault on the sprawling Ghwayran prison complex near the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh on January 20 sparked days of heavy fighting that has left some 260 people dead, and a bulldozer on Saturday shovelled corpses onto a truck to take some for burial.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced they had recaptured the prison on Wednesday, but that mop-up operations continued.

On Saturday, there were "clashes in the vicinity of the prison between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Kurdish security forces on the one hand, and members of IS who are hiding in the area," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The war monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, said that four IS fighters took a local official and three civilians hostage for hours, holding them in a residential building near the prison. 
Kurdish forces later freed the hostages and killed three IS fighters.

An AFP correspondent earlier reported that US troops and Kurdish-led forces surrounded the building and deployed snipers on nearby rooftops, reporting there was intermittent shooting.

The SDF said Wednesday some 3,500 IS members had surrendered, but that holdout IS fighters had barricaded themselves inside the prison facility.

(With inputs from agencies)

Clashes erupted between Kurdish forces and Islamic State fighters near a prison in Syria, said Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. The prison where the fighting broke out has dozens of jihadists holed up.

Clashes erupted between Kurdish forces and Islamic State fighters near a prison in Syria, said Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. The prison where the fighting broke out has dozens of jihadists holed up. An IS assault on the sprawling Ghwayran prison complex near the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh on January 20 sparked days of heavy fighting that has left some 260 people dead, and a bulldozer on Saturday shovelled corpses onto a truck to take some for burial. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced they had recaptured the prison on Wednesday, but that mop-up operations continued. On Saturday, there were "clashes in the vicinity of the prison between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Kurdish security forces on the one hand, and members of IS who are hiding in the area," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The war monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, said that four IS fighters took a local official and three civilians hostage for hours, holding them in a residential building near the prison. Kurdish forces later freed the hostages and killed three IS fighters. An AFP correspondent earlier reported that US troops and Kurdish-led forces surrounded the building and deployed snipers on nearby rooftops, reporting there was intermittent shooting. The SDF said Wednesday some 3,500 IS members had surrendered, but that holdout IS fighters had barricaded themselves inside the prison facility. (With inputs from agencies)

Kurdish forces fight IS near Syria prison, says monitor

&nbsp;Forces from a Kurdish-led militia on rooftops traded fire with dozens of Islamic State fighters still holed up in an embattled prison in northeastern Syria on Thursday, despite claims by the U.S.-backed militia a day earlier that it had regained full control of the entire complex.

The prison, in the city of al-Hasaka, housed thousands of Islamic State former fighters. Their fellow militants attacked a week ago in an attempt to free them. An official with one of the Syrian-Kurdish paramilitary groups battling the Islamic State said 60 to 90 militants from the group were still fighting from inside the partly destroyed prison complex, most of them attackers who had stormed the prison but some of them prisoners who had joined forces with them.

The prison attack was the starkest evidence yet of a resurgence of Islamic State across parts of Syria and Iraq, three years after the group lost the last territorial foothold in its so-called caliphate across a vast stretch of both countries. The extremists have also mounted a series of attacks on military forces in neighbouring Iraq in recent months.

The prison fight drew the U.S. military into the fray in support of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, providing airstrikes, intelligence and armoured vehicles to cordon off the prison. This was the broadest confrontation between U.S. forces and the Islamic State since the end of the caliphate.

The fighting was also raging in surrounding areas near the prison complex.

At a traffic circle a few hundred yards from the prison complex in the centre of al-Hasaka, a New York Times team took cover along with a group of local journalists and civilians caught in the middle as Kurdish-led forces traded fire with Islamic State gunmen who had opened fire from a street near the prison.

Explosions from rocket-propelled grenades fired by the Kurdish-led forces at the prison and the sound of truck-mounted anti-aircraft guns rang out.

The SDF said two Islamic State fighters were killed in the engagement near the traffic circle, but there were no reports of civilians harmed in that clash.

A bulldozer emerged from the ruins of a cultural centre next to the prison complex carrying the crumpled body of an Islamic State fighter before dumping it in the back of a pickup truck.

At another building behind the cultural centre, which had been hit by an airstrike, SDF fighters pulled out the remains of two other Islamic State fighters. A charred oil tanker on its side still burned across the street.

SDF forces said the tanker and three others that were burned beside it had been destroyed in a U.S. airstrike.

Siyamend Ali, the head of media for the People’s Protection Units, one of the Kurdish factions in the SDF, said more than 3,000 detainees had surrendered and most had been taken to a new detention facility built by the U.S.-led coalition that has fought the Islamic State in Syria.

He said some of the Islamic State militants still inside the prison were believed to be foreign fighters.

“The prison attack has activated sleeper cells in other places,” Ali said.

Forces from a Kurdish-led militia on rooftops traded fire with dozens of Islamic State fighters still holed up in an embattled prison in northeastern Syria on Thursday, despite claims by the U.

Forces from a Kurdish-led militia on rooftops traded fire with dozens of Islamic State fighters still holed up in an embattled prison in northeastern Syria on Thursday, despite claims by the U.S.-backed militia a day earlier that it had regained full control of the entire complex. The prison, in the city of al-Hasaka, housed thousands of Islamic State former fighters. Their fellow militants attacked a week ago in an attempt to free them. An official with one of the Syrian-Kurdish paramilitary groups battling the Islamic State said 60 to 90 militants from the group were still fighting from inside the partly destroyed prison complex, most of them attackers who had stormed the prison but some of them prisoners who had joined forces with them. The prison attack was the starkest evidence yet of a resurgence of Islamic State across parts of Syria and Iraq, three years after the group lost the last territorial foothold in its so-called caliphate across a vast stretch of both countries. The extremists have also mounted a series of attacks on military forces in neighbouring Iraq in recent months. The prison fight drew the U.S. military into the fray in support of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, providing airstrikes, intelligence and armoured vehicles to cordon off the prison. This was the broadest confrontation between U.S. forces and the Islamic State since the end of the caliphate. The fighting was also raging in surrounding areas near the prison complex. At a traffic circle a few hundred yards from the prison complex in the centre of al-Hasaka, a New York Times team took cover along with a group of local journalists and civilians caught in the middle as Kurdish-led forces traded fire with Islamic State gunmen who had opened fire from a street near the prison. Explosions from rocket-propelled grenades fired by the Kurdish-led forces at the prison and the sound of truck-mounted anti-aircraft guns rang out. The SDF said two Islamic State fighters were killed in the engagement near the traffic circle, but there were no reports of civilians harmed in that clash. A bulldozer emerged from the ruins of a cultural centre next to the prison complex carrying the crumpled body of an Islamic State fighter before dumping it in the back of a pickup truck. At another building behind the cultural centre, which had been hit by an airstrike, SDF fighters pulled out the remains of two other Islamic State fighters. A charred oil tanker on its side still burned across the street. SDF forces said the tanker and three others that were burned beside it had been destroyed in a U.S. airstrike. Siyamend Ali, the head of media for the People’s Protection Units, one of the Kurdish factions in the SDF, said more than 3,000 detainees had surrendered and most had been taken to a new detention facility built by the U.S.-led coalition that has fought the Islamic State in Syria. He said some of the Islamic State militants still inside the prison were believed to be foreign fighters. “The prison attack has activated sleeper cells in other places,” Ali said.

US-backed forces in Syria are still fighting Islamic State at prison

An audacious attack on a Syrian prison that houses thousands of Islamic State detainees. A series of strikes against military forces in neighboring Iraq. The dissemination of a video showing the beheading of a kidnapped Iraqi police officer.

The evidence of a resurgence of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq is mounting by the day, three years after the militants lost their last territorial foothold in the so-called caliphate, which once stretched across vast parts of the two countries. The fact that the Islamic State group was able to mount multiple, coordinated and sophisticated attacks is evidence that what had been believed to be disparate sleeper cells are re-emerging as a more serious threat.

“It’s a wake-up call for regional players, for national players that ISIS is not over, that the fight is not over,” said Kawa Hassan, Middle East and North Africa director at the Stimson Center think tank. “It shows the resilience of ISIS to strike back at the time and place of their choosing.”

On Thursday, Islamic State fighters attacked a prison in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasaka in an attempt to free the 3,500 prisoners held there and took a group of detained boys hostage to use as human shields. The assault drew the U.S. military into fight in what has become the biggest confrontation between U.S. forces and the Islamic State in three years.

By Tuesday, the Islamic State attackers still controlled part of the prison in Hasaka, even after the United States sent in ground troops and air support for the Kurdish-led forces trying to take it back.

In Iraq last week, around the same time as the prison attack began, ISIS fighters stormed an army outpost in Diyala province, killing 10 soldiers and an officer in the deadliest attack in several years on an Iraqi military base. Gunmen approached the base from three sides late at night while some of the soldiers slept.

The success of the attack raised fears that some of the same conditions in Iraq that allowed for the rise of the Islamic State in 2014 were once again making room for it to reconstitute.

In December, the Islamic State kidnapped four Iraqi hunters in a mountainous area of northeast Iraq, including a police colonel. The militants beheaded the police officer, and then released a gruesome video of the kidnapping that was reminiscent of what was once a common practice during the reign of ISIS.

The attacks in Iraq, conducted by ISIS sleeper cells in remote mountain and desert areas, have highlighted a lack of coordination between Iraqi government forces and the Peshmerga, Kurdish forces that answer to the government of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. Many of the attacks take place in disputed territory claimed by both the Iraqi Kurdish government and the central government.

Ardian Shajkovci, director of the American Counterterrorism Targeting &amp;amp; Resilience Institute, said many of the ISIS fighters arrested in attacks since the group lost the last of its territory three years ago were younger and came from families with older members who had ties to the Islamic State.

“If so, this is a new generation of ISIS recruits, changing the calculus and threat landscape in many ways,” he said.

Iraq has struggled to deal with tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens who are relatives of ISIS fighters and have been collectively punished and placed in detention camps, which are now seen as breeding grounds for radicalization.

Corruption in Iraqi security forces has left some bases in the country without proper supplies and allowed soldiers and officers to neglect their duties, contributing to the collapse of entire army divisions which retreated in 2014 rather than face the Islamic State. 
&nbsp;

An audacious attack on a Syrian prison that houses thousands of Islamic State detainees. A series of strikes against military forces in neighboring Iraq. The dissemination of a video showing the beheading of a kidnapped Iraqi police officer.

An audacious attack on a Syrian prison that houses thousands of Islamic State detainees. A series of strikes against military forces in neighboring Iraq. The dissemination of a video showing the beheading of a kidnapped Iraqi police officer. The evidence of a resurgence of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq is mounting by the day, three years after the militants lost their last territorial foothold in the so-called caliphate, which once stretched across vast parts of the two countries. The fact that the Islamic State group was able to mount multiple, coordinated and sophisticated attacks is evidence that what had been believed to be disparate sleeper cells are re-emerging as a more serious threat. “It’s a wake-up call for regional players, for national players that ISIS is not over, that the fight is not over,” said Kawa Hassan, Middle East and North Africa director at the Stimson Center think tank. “It shows the resilience of ISIS to strike back at the time and place of their choosing.” On Thursday, Islamic State fighters attacked a prison in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasaka in an attempt to free the 3,500 prisoners held there and took a group of detained boys hostage to use as human shields. The assault drew the U.S. military into fight in what has become the biggest confrontation between U.S. forces and the Islamic State in three years. By Tuesday, the Islamic State attackers still controlled part of the prison in Hasaka, even after the United States sent in ground troops and air support for the Kurdish-led forces trying to take it back. In Iraq last week, around the same time as the prison attack began, ISIS fighters stormed an army outpost in Diyala province, killing 10 soldiers and an officer in the deadliest attack in several years on an Iraqi military base. Gunmen approached the base from three sides late at night while some of the soldiers slept. The success of the attack raised fears that some of the same conditions in Iraq that allowed for the rise of the Islamic State in 2014 were once again making room for it to reconstitute. In December, the Islamic State kidnapped four Iraqi hunters in a mountainous area of northeast Iraq, including a police colonel. The militants beheaded the police officer, and then released a gruesome video of the kidnapping that was reminiscent of what was once a common practice during the reign of ISIS. The attacks in Iraq, conducted by ISIS sleeper cells in remote mountain and desert areas, have highlighted a lack of coordination between Iraqi government forces and the Peshmerga, Kurdish forces that answer to the government of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. Many of the attacks take place in disputed territory claimed by both the Iraqi Kurdish government and the central government. Ardian Shajkovci, director of the American Counterterrorism Targeting &amp; Resilience Institute, said many of the ISIS fighters arrested in attacks since the group lost the last of its territory three years ago were younger and came from families with older members who had ties to the Islamic State. “If so, this is a new generation of ISIS recruits, changing the calculus and threat landscape in many ways,” he said. Iraq has struggled to deal with tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens who are relatives of ISIS fighters and have been collectively punished and placed in detention camps, which are now seen as breeding grounds for radicalization. Corruption in Iraqi security forces has left some bases in the country without proper supplies and allowed soldiers and officers to neglect their duties, contributing to the collapse of entire army divisions which retreated in 2014 rather than face the Islamic State.

Prison attack is latest evidence of ISIS resurgence

U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces said they regained control Monday of part of a prison in northeast Syria that Islamic State fighters had held since an attack Friday but that hundreds of boys were still being held as hostages

The prison houses approximately 3,000 suspected ISIS fighters in addition to almost 700 boys, who are being used by the Islamic State group as human shields.

An official with the paramilitary forces said that the Islamic State was threatening to kill the boys if the United States and the Kurdish-led force continued the assault on the prison.

Hundreds of Islamic State fighters attacked the makeshift prison Friday in an effort to free their detained comrades in one of the boldest attacks by the group in the region since the fall of its so-called caliphate three years ago.

The Kurdish-led force, the Syrian Democratic Forces, said that it had recaptured one of the prison’s three buildings in a dawn raid Monday and that about 300 Islamic State fighters had surrendered but the detained boys remained at risk.

The Rojava Information Center, which is run by pro-Syrian Kurdish activists, said part of the complex was still under Islamic State control.

“We have some reports saying that ISIS is threatening to kill all the minors if we continue attacking them,” said Farhad Shami, an SDF spokesman.

He estimated that 25% of the complex was still under Islamic State control.

The United States has launched Apache helicopter airstrikes over the past three days to try to break the siege, killing an unknown number of prisoners.

Shami said 30 SDF fighters had been killed in the operation to take back the prison, and that about 200 Islamic State fighters and inmates who joined them in an attempt to escape had been killed in the operation since Friday.

The inmates include boys as young as 12, including Syrians, Iraqis and about 150 non-Arab foreigners. Some were transferred to the prison when they were deemed too old to remain in detention camps that held families of Islamic State suspects.

The siege of the Ghweran prison in Hasaka demonstrated that the Islamic State still had the ability to mount a coordinated military operation, despite its territorial defeat by the United States and international forces three years ago. At its peak, the jihadi group held territory the size of Britain straddling Iraq and Syria.

The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazlum Kobani, said the Islamic State had mobilized sleeper cells and used suicide bombers to organize the breakout.

The SDF has complained for years that it lacked the ability to securely operate the prison, where Islamic State fighters were detained after they were vanquished from the battlefield in southeastern Syria three years ago. The prisoners hail from dozens of countries, most of which have refused to take them back.

U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces said they regained control Monday of part of a prison in northeast Syria that Islamic State fighters had held since an attack Friday but that hundreds of boys were still being held as hostages The prison houses approximately 3,000 suspected ISIS fighters in addition to almost 700 boys, who are being used by the Islamic State group as human shields.

U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces said they regained control Monday of part of a prison in northeast Syria that Islamic State fighters had held since an attack Friday but that hundreds of boys were still being held as hostages The prison houses approximately 3,000 suspected ISIS fighters in addition to almost 700 boys, who are being used by the Islamic State group as human shields. An official with the paramilitary forces said that the Islamic State was threatening to kill the boys if the United States and the Kurdish-led force continued the assault on the prison. Hundreds of Islamic State fighters attacked the makeshift prison Friday in an effort to free their detained comrades in one of the boldest attacks by the group in the region since the fall of its so-called caliphate three years ago. The Kurdish-led force, the Syrian Democratic Forces, said that it had recaptured one of the prison’s three buildings in a dawn raid Monday and that about 300 Islamic State fighters had surrendered but the detained boys remained at risk. The Rojava Information Center, which is run by pro-Syrian Kurdish activists, said part of the complex was still under Islamic State control. “We have some reports saying that ISIS is threatening to kill all the minors if we continue attacking them,” said Farhad Shami, an SDF spokesman. He estimated that 25% of the complex was still under Islamic State control. The United States has launched Apache helicopter airstrikes over the past three days to try to break the siege, killing an unknown number of prisoners. Shami said 30 SDF fighters had been killed in the operation to take back the prison, and that about 200 Islamic State fighters and inmates who joined them in an attempt to escape had been killed in the operation since Friday. The inmates include boys as young as 12, including Syrians, Iraqis and about 150 non-Arab foreigners. Some were transferred to the prison when they were deemed too old to remain in detention camps that held families of Islamic State suspects. The siege of the Ghweran prison in Hasaka demonstrated that the Islamic State still had the ability to mount a coordinated military operation, despite its territorial defeat by the United States and international forces three years ago. At its peak, the jihadi group held territory the size of Britain straddling Iraq and Syria. The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazlum Kobani, said the Islamic State had mobilized sleeper cells and used suicide bombers to organize the breakout. The SDF has complained for years that it lacked the ability to securely operate the prison, where Islamic State fighters were detained after they were vanquished from the battlefield in southeastern Syria three years ago. The prisoners hail from dozens of countries, most of which have refused to take them back.

Syrian-Kurdish forces retake part of prison held by ISIS

Fighting raged for a third day Saturday between the Islamic State group and Kurdish forces in&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;after IS attacked a prison housing jihadists, in violence that has claimed over 70 lives, a monitor said.

The assault on the Ghwayran prison in the northern city of Hasakeh is one of IS's most significant since its "caliphate" was declared defeated in&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;nearly three years ago.

"At least 28 members of the Kurdish security forces, five civilians and 45 members of IS have been killed" in the violence, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

IS launched the attack on Thursday night against the prison housing some 3,500 suspected members of the jihadist group, including some of its leaders, said the Observatory.

Hundreds of jihadist inmates had since been detained and around 10 were believed to have escaped, said the Observatory, a Britain-based monitor that relies on sources inside war-torn&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;for its information.

"The exceptional situation continues in and around the prison," said Farhad Shami, spokesman for the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The fighting on Saturday morning was taking place north of the prison, he added.

The jihadist group said in a statement released by its Amaq news agency that its attack on the jail aimed to "free the prisoners".

IS has carried out regular attacks against Kurdish and government targets in&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;since the rump of its once-sprawling proto-state was overrun on the banks of the Euphrates in March 2019.

Most of their guerrilla attacks have been against military targets and oil installations in remote areas, but the Hasakeh prison break could mark a new phase in the group's resurgence.

The Kurdish authorities have long warned they do not have the capacity to hold, let alone put on trial, the thousands of IS fighters captured in years of operations.

According to Kurdish authorities, more than 50 nationalities are represented in a number of Kurdish-run prisons, where more than 12,000 IS suspects are now held.

The war in&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;broke out in 2011 and has since killed close to half a million people and spurred the largest conflict-induced displacement since World War II.

Fighting raged for a third day Saturday between the Islamic State group and Kurdish forces in Syria after IS attacked a prison housing jihadists, in violence that has claimed over 70 lives, a monitor said.

Fighting raged for a third day Saturday between the Islamic State group and Kurdish forces in Syria after IS attacked a prison housing jihadists, in violence that has claimed over 70 lives, a monitor said. The assault on the Ghwayran prison in the northern city of Hasakeh is one of IS's most significant since its "caliphate" was declared defeated in Syria nearly three years ago. "At least 28 members of the Kurdish security forces, five civilians and 45 members of IS have been killed" in the violence, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. IS launched the attack on Thursday night against the prison housing some 3,500 suspected members of the jihadist group, including some of its leaders, said the Observatory. Hundreds of jihadist inmates had since been detained and around 10 were believed to have escaped, said the Observatory, a Britain-based monitor that relies on sources inside war-torn Syria for its information. "The exceptional situation continues in and around the prison," said Farhad Shami, spokesman for the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The fighting on Saturday morning was taking place north of the prison, he added. The jihadist group said in a statement released by its Amaq news agency that its attack on the jail aimed to "free the prisoners". IS has carried out regular attacks against Kurdish and government targets in Syria since the rump of its once-sprawling proto-state was overrun on the banks of the Euphrates in March 2019. Most of their guerrilla attacks have been against military targets and oil installations in remote areas, but the Hasakeh prison break could mark a new phase in the group's resurgence. The Kurdish authorities have long warned they do not have the capacity to hold, let alone put on trial, the thousands of IS fighters captured in years of operations. According to Kurdish authorities, more than 50 nationalities are represented in a number of Kurdish-run prisons, where more than 12,000 IS suspects are now held. The war in Syria broke out in 2011 and has since killed close to half a million people and spurred the largest conflict-induced displacement since World War II.

More than 70 dead in fighting after Syria jail attack

Iran's Deputy Vice President for Legal Affairs has said that granting immunity to perpetrators behind the killing of Qasem Soleimani threatens international peace.

He has written a letter to the United Nations General Assembly to seek a resolution on Soleimani's assassination.

In the letter he has written, ''It is highly proposed that the universally respected General Assembly, while within condemning the state-centric assassination of the foreign state and diplomatic officials, take all possible legal initiatives within its authorities, including the adoption of a resolution to prevent such crimes in the future.''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-thousands-mark-2020-killing-of-iran-general-qassem-soleimani-441653">Also read |&nbsp;Iraq: Thousands mark 2020 killing of Iran general Qassem Soleimani</a>

He has highlighted that ''Direct responsibility of the commission of this violent crime was subsequently accepted by the President of the United States of America.''

Tehran is seeking to preserve its deep influence in Iraq while also navigating tense negotiations over its nuclear ambitions with the United States.

Thousands of supporters of an Iraqi alliance of armed groups marked the upcoming second anniversary of a US drone strike that killed the revered Iranian commander.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/who-is-general-qassem-soleimani-271786">Also read |&nbsp;'He is James Bond, Rommel and Lady Gaga rolled into one': Soleimani was featured in Time magazine's 100 most influential people</a>

Chanting "Death to America", the Hashed al-Shaabi loyalists filled a Baghdad square to honour Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, until his death on January 3, 2020.

Washington had accused him of masterminding attacks by Iranian-aligned militias on US forces in the region.&nbsp;

The 62-year-old general strengthened Iran's ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Syria's government and Shi'ite militia groups in Iraq.

Over two decades, Soleimani was at the forefront of projecting the Islamic Republic's military influence across the Middle East, acquiring celebrity status at home and abroad.

The Pentagon said the strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans.

The United States designated the Revolutionary Guards a foreign terrorist organisation in 2019, part of a campaign of maximum pressure to force Iran to negotiate on its ballistic missile program and nuclear policy.

Soleimani was responsible for clandestine overseas operations and was often seen on battlefields guiding Iraqi Shi'ite groups in the war against Islamic State.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Iran's Deputy Vice President for Legal Affairs has said that granting immunity to perpetrators behind the killing of Qasem Soleimani threatens international peace.

Iran's Deputy Vice President for Legal Affairs has said that granting immunity to perpetrators behind the killing of Qasem Soleimani threatens international peace. He has written a letter to the United Nations General Assembly to seek a resolution on Soleimani's assassination. In the letter he has written, ''It is highly proposed that the universally respected General Assembly, while within condemning the state-centric assassination of the foreign state and diplomatic officials, take all possible legal initiatives within its authorities, including the adoption of a resolution to prevent such crimes in the future.'' Also read | Iraq: Thousands mark 2020 killing of Iran general Qassem Soleimani He has highlighted that ''Direct responsibility of the commission of this violent crime was subsequently accepted by the President of the United States of America.'' Tehran is seeking to preserve its deep influence in Iraq while also navigating tense negotiations over its nuclear ambitions with the United States. Thousands of supporters of an Iraqi alliance of armed groups marked the upcoming second anniversary of a US drone strike that killed the revered Iranian commander. Also read | 'He is James Bond, Rommel and Lady Gaga rolled into one': Soleimani was featured in Time magazine's 100 most influential people Chanting "Death to America", the Hashed al-Shaabi loyalists filled a Baghdad square to honour Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, until his death on January 3, 2020. Washington had accused him of masterminding attacks by Iranian-aligned militias on US forces in the region. The 62-year-old general strengthened Iran's ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Syria's government and Shi'ite militia groups in Iraq. Over two decades, Soleimani was at the forefront of projecting the Islamic Republic's military influence across the Middle East, acquiring celebrity status at home and abroad. The Pentagon said the strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States designated the Revolutionary Guards a foreign terrorist organisation in 2019, part of a campaign of maximum pressure to force Iran to negotiate on its ballistic missile program and nuclear policy. Soleimani was responsible for clandestine overseas operations and was often seen on battlefields guiding Iraqi Shi'ite groups in the war against Islamic State. (With inputs from agencies)

Immunity to perpetrators behind killing of Soleimani threatens international peace, says Iran

Around 90 per cent of terrorists operating in Afghanistan are actively targeting China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, key installations and economic activity, Pakistan’s counter-terrorism department (CTD) has claimed.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) CTD Javed Iqbal Wazir made these remarks while speaking to reporters in Peshawar city on Thursday.

He said that the anti-terrorism wing has busted five major groups of Islamic State – Khorasan Province in Peshawar and Bannu region since last year.

“Three of the major groups were busted by the CTD Peshawar region while two were busted by the CTD Bannu range. The held terrorists were involved in over 40 incidents of target-killing, including attacks on polio vaccination teams,” Pakistani newspaper The News International quoted Wazi as saying.

The CTD chief added the arrested and killed terrorists included a number of most wanted people who were carrying millions of rupees as head money.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-buys-25-chinese-j-10c-fighters-in-response-to-indias-rafale-441092">Pakistan buys 25 Chinese J-10C fighters in response to India's Rafale</a>

The assertions of the top official are in stark contrast to a US report which has claimed that Pakistan failed to take adequate steps to counter-terrorism and prosecute terrorists including masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai attacks such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) founder Masood Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) Sajid Mir.

It also said that Pakistan made “limited progress” in its pledge to dismantle all terrorist organizations without delay or discrimination.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-court-acquits-6-members-of-hafiz-saeeds-banned-jud-outfit-in-terror-funding-case-427367">Pakistan court acquits 6 members of Hafiz Saeed’s banned JuD outfit in terror funding case</a>

Pakistan made limited progress on the most difficult aspects of its 2015 National Action Plan to counter-terrorism, specifically in its pledge to dismantle all terrorist organizations without delay or discrimination," the US State Department report said in its 2020 ‘Country Reports on Terrorism’.

At the same time, the US report stated that&nbsp;Indian security agencies&nbsp;are effective in disrupting terror threats and respond “in a timely manner” to the requests made by the United States for information related to terrorism investigations.

(With inputs from agencies)

Around 90 per cent of terrorists operating in Afghanistan are actively targeting China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, key installations and economic activity, Pakistan’s counter-terrorism department (CTD) has claimed.

Around 90 per cent of terrorists operating in Afghanistan are actively targeting China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, key installations and economic activity, Pakistan’s counter-terrorism department (CTD) has claimed. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) CTD Javed Iqbal Wazir made these remarks while speaking to reporters in Peshawar city on Thursday. He said that the anti-terrorism wing has busted five major groups of Islamic State – Khorasan Province in Peshawar and Bannu region since last year. “Three of the major groups were busted by the CTD Peshawar region while two were busted by the CTD Bannu range. The held terrorists were involved in over 40 incidents of target-killing, including attacks on polio vaccination teams,” Pakistani newspaper The News International quoted Wazi as saying. The CTD chief added the arrested and killed terrorists included a number of most wanted people who were carrying millions of rupees as head money. Also read | Pakistan buys 25 Chinese J-10C fighters in response to India's Rafale The assertions of the top official are in stark contrast to a US report which has claimed that Pakistan failed to take adequate steps to counter-terrorism and prosecute terrorists including masterminds of the 2008 Mumbai attacks such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) founder Masood Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) Sajid Mir. It also said that Pakistan made “limited progress” in its pledge to dismantle all terrorist organizations without delay or discrimination. Also read | Pakistan court acquits 6 members of Hafiz Saeed’s banned JuD outfit in terror funding case Pakistan made limited progress on the most difficult aspects of its 2015 National Action Plan to counter-terrorism, specifically in its pledge to dismantle all terrorist organizations without delay or discrimination," the US State Department report said in its 2020 ‘Country Reports on Terrorism’. At the same time, the US report stated that Indian security agencies are effective in disrupting terror threats and respond “in a timely manner” to the requests made by the United States for information related to terrorism investigations. (With inputs from agencies)

90% of terrorists operating in Afghanistan targeting CPEC projects: Pak’s counter-terrorism wing chief

At least 6 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack at a restaurant and bar on Christmas day in the eastern Congolese town, where Islamic extremists are known to be active.

More than 30 people were celebrating Christmas in Beni when the bomb went off, two witnesses told AFP. According to reports, two children and women were among the dead.

Officials have blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) for Saturday’s attack. The militia is one of the deadliest armed groups in the region and is claimed by the Islamic State&nbsp;group as its central Africa region.

The attack is the second suicide bombing incident that has taken place in eastern Congo this year. Earlier, the ADF forces claimed responsibility for the attack near another bar in Beni, which had caused no casualties.

Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, regional governor’s spokesperson, said that 14 people were injured in the blast.

“The suicide bomber, prevented by security guards from entering a crowded bar, activated the bomb at the entrance of the bar,” he said in a statement.

Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi said in a statement on Twitter that he "strongly condemns" the "odious" attack.

Beni, near the DRC’s eastern border with Uganda, has been the site of regular clashes between the Congolese army and the ADF.

In recent years, the town has also suffered an Ebola epidemic and has seen several smaller outbreaks of the disease.

(With inputs from agencies)

At least 6 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack at a restaurant and bar on Christmas day in the eastern Congolese town, where Islamic extremists are known to be active.

At least 6 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack at a restaurant and bar on Christmas day in the eastern Congolese town, where Islamic extremists are known to be active. More than 30 people were celebrating Christmas in Beni when the bomb went off, two witnesses told AFP. According to reports, two children and women were among the dead. Officials have blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) for Saturday’s attack. The militia is one of the deadliest armed groups in the region and is claimed by the Islamic State group as its central Africa region. The attack is the second suicide bombing incident that has taken place in eastern Congo this year. Earlier, the ADF forces claimed responsibility for the attack near another bar in Beni, which had caused no casualties. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, regional governor’s spokesperson, said that 14 people were injured in the blast. “The suicide bomber, prevented by security guards from entering a crowded bar, activated the bomb at the entrance of the bar,” he said in a statement. Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi said in a statement on Twitter that he "strongly condemns" the "odious" attack. Beni, near the DRC’s eastern border with Uganda, has been the site of regular clashes between the Congolese army and the ADF. In recent years, the town has also suffered an Ebola epidemic and has seen several smaller outbreaks of the disease. (With inputs from agencies)

At least 6 killed, 14 injured in Christmas Day bombing in east Congo

Iraq's security forces on Sunday released a statement saying that two rockets targetted Baghdad's highly secure Green Zone. US embassy is located in the Green Zone. Security forces said that the attack took place early Sunday.

"The Green Zone in Baghdad was the target of two Katyusha rockets. The first was shot down in the air by C-RAM defence batteries, the second fell in a square, damaging two vehicles," the statement said.

AFP quoted a security source to say that the shot down rocket fell near the US embassy, while the second came down roughly 500 metres (1,640 feet) away.

Previously, the source told AFP that two rockets had been shot down near the US embassy.

Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the US Central Command, told AFP the incident caused no casualties.

He said no shots hit the embassy or the so-called Union III area where US-led coalition forces are based. 
No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

In recent months, dozens of rocket assaults or drone bomb attacks have targeted American troops and interests in Iraq. 
The attacks are rarely claimed but are routinely pinned on pro-Iran factions.

The latest rocket fire comes after the announcement this week of the end of the "combat mission" in Iraq of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group.

But roughly 2,500 American soldiers and 1,000 coalition soldiers will remain deployed in Iraq to offer training, advice and assistance to national forces.

Pro-Iran factions in Iraq are calling for the departure of all US forces stationed in the country.

Sunday's attack also coincides with the 10th anniversary of the departure of US troops from Iraq on December 18, 2011, after the invasion and overthrow of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Washington then deployed its troops to the country in 2014 to fight IS, which had captured large swathes of the nation in a lightning offensive.

(With inputs from agencies)

Iraq's security forces on Sunday released a statement saying that two rockets targetted Baghdad's highly secure Green Zone. US embassy is located in the Green Zone.

Iraq's security forces on Sunday released a statement saying that two rockets targetted Baghdad's highly secure Green Zone. US embassy is located in the Green Zone. Security forces said that the attack took place early Sunday. "The Green Zone in Baghdad was the target of two Katyusha rockets. The first was shot down in the air by C-RAM defence batteries, the second fell in a square, damaging two vehicles," the statement said. AFP quoted a security source to say that the shot down rocket fell near the US embassy, while the second came down roughly 500 metres (1,640 feet) away. Previously, the source told AFP that two rockets had been shot down near the US embassy. Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the US Central Command, told AFP the incident caused no casualties. He said no shots hit the embassy or the so-called Union III area where US-led coalition forces are based. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. In recent months, dozens of rocket assaults or drone bomb attacks have targeted American troops and interests in Iraq. The attacks are rarely claimed but are routinely pinned on pro-Iran factions. The latest rocket fire comes after the announcement this week of the end of the "combat mission" in Iraq of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group. But roughly 2,500 American soldiers and 1,000 coalition soldiers will remain deployed in Iraq to offer training, advice and assistance to national forces. Pro-Iran factions in Iraq are calling for the departure of all US forces stationed in the country. Sunday's attack also coincides with the 10th anniversary of the departure of US troops from Iraq on December 18, 2011, after the invasion and overthrow of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. Washington then deployed its troops to the country in 2014 to fight IS, which had captured large swathes of the nation in a lightning offensive. (With inputs from agencies)

Two Katyusha rockets fired at Baghdad's ultra-secure Green Zone

The Niger Defence Ministry announced Sunday that 12 soldiers and "dozens of terrorists" were killed in a battle in western Niger, in the conflict-torn "three borders" zone.&nbsp;

Eight more soldiers were wounded in the clash with "hundreds of armed terrorists" five kilometres (three miles) from Fantio, the statement said. The soldiers encountered hundreds of fighters and came under heavy fire.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-69-dead-in-west-niger-jihadist-attack-426897">At least 69 dead in west Niger jihadist attack</a>&nbsp;

According to the statement, several motorbikes, used by the attackers had been destroyed and communications equipment recovered.

The soldiers "ferociously" defended themselves, killing dozens of the attackers before being overwhelmed by their numbers, said the ministry.

Finally, reinforcements from nearby positions and air support forced the enemy to retreat.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/un-urges-mali-to-end-hereditary-slavery-425038">UN urges Mali to end hereditary slavery</a>

Fantio is a small rural community located in the Tera district of the Tillaberio region that is regularly targeted by jihadist groups.

The attack is part of a broader wave of violence by groups affiliated with al Qaeda and the Islamic State that has swept across Africa's Sahel region, an arid desert region south of the Sahara Desert since 2017.

Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have been the scene of some of the worst attacks. There have been thousands of civilian deaths and millions of displaced people in the region.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas Plus: Jihadists on the rise in West Africa

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-plus-jihadists-on-the-rise-in-west-africa-368491/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Along with attacks from jihadist groups like the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) in its west, Niger also faces threats from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in its southwest, near the border with Nigeria.

The arid Sahel state is the world's poorest country, according to the UN's Human Development Index.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Niger Defence Ministry announced Sunday that 12 soldiers and "dozens of terrorists" were killed in a battle in western Niger, in the conflict-torn "three borders" zone.

The Niger Defence Ministry announced Sunday that 12 soldiers and "dozens of terrorists" were killed in a battle in western Niger, in the conflict-torn "three borders" zone. Eight more soldiers were wounded in the clash with "hundreds of armed terrorists" five kilometres (three miles) from Fantio, the statement said. The soldiers encountered hundreds of fighters and came under heavy fire. Also read | At least 69 dead in west Niger jihadist attack According to the statement, several motorbikes, used by the attackers had been destroyed and communications equipment recovered. The soldiers "ferociously" defended themselves, killing dozens of the attackers before being overwhelmed by their numbers, said the ministry. Finally, reinforcements from nearby positions and air support forced the enemy to retreat. Also read | UN urges Mali to end hereditary slavery Fantio is a small rural community located in the Tera district of the Tillaberio region that is regularly targeted by jihadist groups. The attack is part of a broader wave of violence by groups affiliated with al Qaeda and the Islamic State that has swept across Africa's Sahel region, an arid desert region south of the Sahara Desert since 2017. Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have been the scene of some of the worst attacks. There have been thousands of civilian deaths and millions of displaced people in the region. Watch | Gravitas Plus: Jihadists on the rise in West Africa Along with attacks from jihadist groups like the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) in its west, Niger also faces threats from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in its southwest, near the border with Nigeria. The arid Sahel state is the world's poorest country, according to the UN's Human Development Index. (With inputs from agencies)

In Niger a 'ferocious' battle with 'terrorists' leaves 12 soldiers and dozens of militants dead

A blast took place in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Saturday, according to local news media reports.

The eyewitness said that the blast occurred on Kabul's Fifth Taimani Street, Tolo News reported.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a> An Explosion occured in the Taimani 5th street. 
 
It was caused by a magnetic mine at a Land Cruiser of Taliban.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BreakingNews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BreakingNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kabul?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kabul</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kabulblast?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kabulblast</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afghanistan</a> <a href="https://t.co/2e700rAIHJ">pic.twitter.com/2e700rAIHJ</a>
— The HbK (@The5HbK) <a href="https://twitter.com/The5HbK/status/1467118040059842560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

So far, no casualties have been reported and it is not clear how the blast took place.

Further details are awaited.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/in-afghanistan-who-has-the-guns-gets-the-land-434095">In Afghanistan, ‘who has the guns gets the land’</a>

The latest explosion comes two weeks after the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) carried out two bomb blasts that left around dozen civilians dead and scores wounded in Kabul.

The first explosion was a car bomb blast that took place in Dasht-e Barchi, a heavily Shi’ite Muslim area of western Kabul.

A second explosion was also reported in the nearby Karte 3 area, local residents said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-and-911-families-fight-for-billions-in-frozen-afghan-funds-432862">Taliban and 9/11 families fight for billions in frozen Afghan funds</a>

The terror group has intensified bombings and other attacks since the Taliban seized power in mid-August.

For months, US military officials have been warning that ISIS-K and al-Qaida are regrouping and re-emerging in strife-torn Afghanistan.

ISIS-K, which has been mostly antagonistic toward the Taliban, recently denounced the militant group's takeover of Afghanistan, saying that the group’s version of Islamic rule was insufficiently hard line.

According to a report from the Washington-based think tank, Center for Strategic and International Studies, ISIS-K “disregards international borders and envisions its territory transcending nation-states like Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

The Islamic State announced its expansion to the Khorasan region in 2015, which historically encompasses parts of modern-day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

(With inputs from agencies)

A blast took place in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Saturday, according to local news media reports. The eyewitness said that the blast occurred on Kabul's Fifth Taimani Street, Tolo News reported.

A blast took place in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Saturday, according to local news media reports. The eyewitness said that the blast occurred on Kabul's Fifth Taimani Street, Tolo News reported. #BREAKING An Explosion occured in the Taimani 5th street. It was caused by a magnetic mine at a Land Cruiser of Taliban.#BreakingNews #Kabul #Kabulblast #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/2e700rAIHJ — The HbK (@The5HbK) December 4, 2021 × So far, no casualties have been reported and it is not clear how the blast took place. Further details are awaited. Also read | In Afghanistan, ‘who has the guns gets the land’ The latest explosion comes two weeks after the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) carried out two bomb blasts that left around dozen civilians dead and scores wounded in Kabul. The first explosion was a car bomb blast that took place in Dasht-e Barchi, a heavily Shi’ite Muslim area of western Kabul. A second explosion was also reported in the nearby Karte 3 area, local residents said. Also read | Taliban and 9/11 families fight for billions in frozen Afghan funds The terror group has intensified bombings and other attacks since the Taliban seized power in mid-August. For months, US military officials have been warning that ISIS-K and al-Qaida are regrouping and re-emerging in strife-torn Afghanistan. ISIS-K, which has been mostly antagonistic toward the Taliban, recently denounced the militant group's takeover of Afghanistan, saying that the group’s version of Islamic rule was insufficiently hard line. According to a report from the Washington-based think tank, Center for Strategic and International Studies, ISIS-K “disregards international borders and envisions its territory transcending nation-states like Afghanistan and Pakistan.” The Islamic State announced its expansion to the Khorasan region in 2015, which historically encompasses parts of modern-day Iran, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. (With inputs from agencies)

Blast rocks Afghanistan’s Kabul, no casualties reported

In a bleak assessment of the situation following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the UN envoy to the war-torn country on Wednesday said that an affiliate of the Islamic State group has grown manifolds and looks to appear in almost all 34 provinces. &nbsp;

Deborah Lyons, UN Special Representative told the UN Security Council that the Taliban's response to Islamic State-Khorasan Province's (ISKP) expansion "appears to rely heavily on extrajudicial detentions and killings" of suspected ISKP fighters. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-arrest-11-is-suspects-in-central-daikundi-province-429877" hreflang="en">Taliban arrest 11 IS suspects in central Daikundi province</a>

"This is an area deserving more attention from the international community," Lyons said. &nbsp;

These remarks came after the ISKP group, which is an ideological foe of the Taliban, claimed responsibility for two blasts. &nbsp; &nbsp;

The Taliban has been unable to check growth of the ISKP, said the envoy. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/afghan-college-students-find-a-new-life-and-safety-in-iraq-429575" hreflang="en">Afghan college students find a new life, and safety, in Iraq</a>

Lyons said, "Once limited to a few provinces and the capital, ISKP now seems to be present in nearly all provinces, and increasingly active." The envoy added that the number of the attacks by the group have increased from 60 strikes in 2020 to 334 this year. &nbsp;

The UN mission has been regularly receiving credible reports of house searches and the "extrajudicial killings" of former security personnel and officials, Lyons added. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

In a bleak assessment of the situation following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the UN envoy to the war-torn country on Wednesday said that an affiliate of the Islamic State group has grown manifolds and looks to appear in almost all 34 provinces.

In a bleak assessment of the situation following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the UN envoy to the war-torn country on Wednesday said that an affiliate of the Islamic State group has grown manifolds and looks to appear in almost all 34 provinces. Deborah Lyons, UN Special Representative told the UN Security Council that the Taliban's response to Islamic State-Khorasan Province's (ISKP) expansion "appears to rely heavily on extrajudicial detentions and killings" of suspected ISKP fighters. Also Read: Taliban arrest 11 IS suspects in central Daikundi province "This is an area deserving more attention from the international community," Lyons said. These remarks came after the ISKP group, which is an ideological foe of the Taliban, claimed responsibility for two blasts. The Taliban has been unable to check growth of the ISKP, said the envoy. Also Read: Afghan college students find a new life, and safety, in Iraq Lyons said, "Once limited to a few provinces and the capital, ISKP now seems to be present in nearly all provinces, and increasingly active." The envoy added that the number of the attacks by the group have increased from 60 strikes in 2020 to 334 this year. The UN mission has been regularly receiving credible reports of house searches and the "extrajudicial killings" of former security personnel and officials, Lyons added. (With inputs from agencies)

Islamic State militants now present in all 34 Afghan provinces, says UN envoy

The Taliban`s officials in central Daikundi province said that they arrested 11 people who are suspected to be affiliates of ISIS-K, the terror group which recently speeded its attacks in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of it, reported local media.

The officials said that the suspects are from Helmand, Ghazni, and Urozgan provinces but added that further investigations have been started, said Khaama Press.Weapons of the suspects have been seized by the Taliban.

A few days back, the Taliban arrested ten ISIS-K affiliates and killed three more during large-scale operations in Kandahar province.The four hideouts of the ISIS-K have been eliminated in the province, according to the Taliban`s officials in Kandahar province.

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan branch is now the only terror group that operates against the Taliban in Afghanistan and inflicts causalities on civilians people mainly the Shia Muslims, according to Khaama Press.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The Taliban`s officials in central Daikundi province said that they arrested 11 people who are suspected to be affiliates of ISIS-K, the terror group which recently speeded its attacks in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of it, reported local media.

The Taliban`s officials in central Daikundi province said that they arrested 11 people who are suspected to be affiliates of ISIS-K, the terror group which recently speeded its attacks in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of it, reported local media. The officials said that the suspects are from Helmand, Ghazni, and Urozgan provinces but added that further investigations have been started, said Khaama Press.Weapons of the suspects have been seized by the Taliban. A few days back, the Taliban arrested ten ISIS-K affiliates and killed three more during large-scale operations in Kandahar province.The four hideouts of the ISIS-K have been eliminated in the province, according to the Taliban`s officials in Kandahar province. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan branch is now the only terror group that operates against the Taliban in Afghanistan and inflicts causalities on civilians people mainly the Shia Muslims, according to Khaama Press.

Taliban arrest 11 IS suspects in central Daikundi province

Three suicide bombings killed at least three people in Ugandan capital Kampala on Tuesday. Dozens have been arrested in the bombings in a country that is seen as a stable bulwark against Islamic extremism in Africa.

At least 33 people were being treated in hospital, including five who were in critical condition, police spokesperson Fred Enanga said.

The death toll including the three bombers was six, Enanga said.

A diplomat told Reuters two police were among the victims. Enanga confirmed the death toll included police but declined to give further details.

<img alt="Uganda Blast" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ad7d16aa-8d15-4fde-8478-38df53c7de62" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_9RR2XK.jpg" />

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but police cited intelligence indications to say that Islamic State-aligned Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) were responsible.

"Our intelligence ... indicates that these are domestic terror groups that are linked to ADF," Enanga said.

The explosions - the first near the central police station and the second very close to parliament - sent bloodied office workers rushing for cover over shards of broken glass as a plume of white smoke rose above the downtown area.

A suicide bomber wearing a backpack carried out the first blast near the checkpoint at the police station, which killed two people, Enanga said. The second attack, involving two suicide bombers on motorbikes, killed one other person.

"A booming sound like that from a big gun went off. The ground shook, my ears nearly went deaf," said Peter Olupot, a 28-year-old bank guard who was near the attack close to parliament.

<img alt="Uganda Blast" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="63f3415d-8717-4370-8c06-ae5fba7337d4" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_9RQ9Q9.jpg" />

"I saw a vehicle on fire and everyone was running and panicking. I saw a boda boda (motorcycle) man - his head was smashed and covered in blood."

Anti-terrorism police caught another person who was preparing to carry out an attack, Enanga said, adding: "We are now pursuing other members of the terror group."

MILITANT GROUPS

The al Qaeda-linked Somali insurgent group al Shabaab has carried out deadly attacks in Uganda in the past, including a 2010 attack that killed 70 people.

Ugandan soldiers are fighting al Shabaab in Somalia as part of an U.N.-backed African Union peacekeeping force. An al Shabab spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

The ADF is a separate group, founded by Ugandan Muslims but now largely active in the forested mountains of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where it has been blamed for thousands of civilian deaths.

Last month, Islamic State made its first claim of responsibility for a blast in Uganda - an attack on a police station in Kampala's Kawempe neighbourhood in which no one was killed.

(With inputs from agencies)

Three suicide bombings killed at least three people in Ugandan capital Kampala on Tuesday. Dozens have been arrested in the bombings in a country that is seen as a stable bulwark against Islamic extremism in Africa.

Three suicide bombings killed at least three people in Ugandan capital Kampala on Tuesday. Dozens have been arrested in the bombings in a country that is seen as a stable bulwark against Islamic extremism in Africa. At least 33 people were being treated in hospital, including five who were in critical condition, police spokesperson Fred Enanga said. The death toll including the three bombers was six, Enanga said. A diplomat told Reuters two police were among the victims. Enanga confirmed the death toll included police but declined to give further details. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but police cited intelligence indications to say that Islamic State-aligned Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) were responsible. "Our intelligence ... indicates that these are domestic terror groups that are linked to ADF," Enanga said. The explosions - the first near the central police station and the second very close to parliament - sent bloodied office workers rushing for cover over shards of broken glass as a plume of white smoke rose above the downtown area. A suicide bomber wearing a backpack carried out the first blast near the checkpoint at the police station, which killed two people, Enanga said. The second attack, involving two suicide bombers on motorbikes, killed one other person. "A booming sound like that from a big gun went off. The ground shook, my ears nearly went deaf," said Peter Olupot, a 28-year-old bank guard who was near the attack close to parliament. "I saw a vehicle on fire and everyone was running and panicking. I saw a boda boda (motorcycle) man - his head was smashed and covered in blood." Anti-terrorism police caught another person who was preparing to carry out an attack, Enanga said, adding: "We are now pursuing other members of the terror group." MILITANT GROUPS The al Qaeda-linked Somali insurgent group al Shabaab has carried out deadly attacks in Uganda in the past, including a 2010 attack that killed 70 people. Ugandan soldiers are fighting al Shabaab in Somalia as part of an U.N.-backed African Union peacekeeping force. An al Shabab spokesman was not immediately available for comment. The ADF is a separate group, founded by Ugandan Muslims but now largely active in the forested mountains of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where it has been blamed for thousands of civilian deaths. Last month, Islamic State made its first claim of responsibility for a blast in Uganda - an attack on a police station in Kampala's Kawempe neighbourhood in which no one was killed. (With inputs from agencies)

Blasts in Uganda: Suicide bombers target capital Kampala, IS links suspected

A day after a blast ripped through a mosque in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, a bomb exploded in capital Kabul on Saturday.

Reports say at least six people have been killed in the blast and seven wounded. The blast took place in &nbsp;Dasht-e-Barchi area in Kabul.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
An Explosion has occurred in Dasht e Barchi area of Kabul, the neighborhood is pre-dominantly is of Hazara Shia populous. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afghanistan</a>
— Anas Mallick (@AnasMallick) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnasMallick/status/1459503434764333057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

A minibus was reportedly destroyed in the blast.&nbsp;Reports claimed a magnetic bomb was attached to the minivan.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/blast-at-mosque-in-afghanistan-3-killed-at-least-20-injured-428725">Also Read:&nbsp;Blast at mosque in Afghanistan; 3 killed, at least 20 injured</a>

The blast reportedly took place near a Taliban checkpoint. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast. The area is reportedly populated by the ethnic Hazaras. &nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: 
Moments ago, an explosion took place in the Gulai Mahtab Qala, Dasht-e-Barchi of Kabul.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AfghanistanToday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AfghanistanToday</a> <a href="https://t.co/mrW8TgeCXn">pic.twitter.com/mrW8TgeCXn</a>
— Ziar Khan Yaad (@ziaryaad) <a href="https://twitter.com/ziaryaad/status/1459504331493941251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

On Friday, a blast had taken place at a mosque in Spin Ghar area in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province killing at least three people and injuring twenty as the Friday prayers were taking place.&nbsp;

The imam of the mosque was also hurt in the attack. The bomb was reportedly hidden inside the loudspeaker.

(With inputs from Agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A day after a blast ripped through a mosque in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, a bomb exploded in capital Kabul on Saturday. Reports say at least six people have been killed in the blast and seven wounded.

A day after a blast ripped through a mosque in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, a bomb exploded in capital Kabul on Saturday. Reports say at least six people have been killed in the blast and seven wounded. The blast took place in Dasht-e-Barchi area in Kabul. An Explosion has occurred in Dasht e Barchi area of Kabul, the neighborhood is pre-dominantly is of Hazara Shia populous. #Afghanistan — Anas Mallick (@AnasMallick) November 13, 2021 × A minibus was reportedly destroyed in the blast. Reports claimed a magnetic bomb was attached to the minivan. Also Read: Blast at mosque in Afghanistan; 3 killed, at least 20 injured The blast reportedly took place near a Taliban checkpoint. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast. The area is reportedly populated by the ethnic Hazaras. BREAKING: Moments ago, an explosion took place in the Gulai Mahtab Qala, Dasht-e-Barchi of Kabul.#AfghanistanToday pic.twitter.com/mrW8TgeCXn — Ziar Khan Yaad (@ziaryaad) November 13, 2021 × On Friday, a blast had taken place at a mosque in Spin Ghar area in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province killing at least three people and injuring twenty as the Friday prayers were taking place. The imam of the mosque was also hurt in the attack. The bomb was reportedly hidden inside the loudspeaker. (With inputs from Agencies)

Blast near Taliban checkpoint in Kabul; at least 6 killed

islamic-state

Islamic State, News on Islamic State, stories on Islamic State, articles on Islamic State, Islamic State stories at Wion, Islamic State news, Islamic State latest news

islamic state

Top 10 world news: IS claims Mazar-e-Sharif blast, Elon Musk latest, more news

Afghanistan: Islamic State claims responsibility for Mazar-e-Sharif mosque blast

Islamic State claims Nigeria bombing, says about 30 killed or hurt

Syrian fighters who fought against Islamic State sign up to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine: Report

Islamic state 'Beatles' cell member convicted in US, guilty for abuse & death of 4 Americans

Islamic State 'Beatles' cell member found guilty of beheading hostages

ISIS 'Beatles' cell member convicted in US, guilty of killing four American hostages

Gravitas: Israel PM asks citizens to arm themselves

UN peacekeepers deployed to northeastern Mali amid spate of killings

Member of Islamic State 'Beatles' cell stands trial in US

Islamic State confirms its leader was killed in Syria, names new chief

Islamic State claims responsibility for Peshawar mosque suicide blast that killed 57

Islamic State likely to pick battle-hardened Iraqi as next leader: Report

Islamic State likely to pick battle-hardened Iraqi as next leader: Report

Leader’s death is another blow for the Islamic State, but it’s hardly the end

More than 300 people killed in Syria since prison attack

US woman charged with aiding Islamic State, she was allegedly planning attacks

Kurdish forces fight IS near Syria prison, says monitor

US-backed forces in Syria are still fighting Islamic State at prison

Prison attack is latest evidence of ISIS resurgence

Syrian-Kurdish forces retake part of prison held by ISIS

More than 70 dead in fighting after Syria jail attack

Immunity to perpetrators behind killing of Soleimani threatens international peace, says Iran

90% of terrorists operating in Afghanistan targeting CPEC projects: Pak’s counter-terrorism wing chief