If reports are to be believed, the pro-Iranian terror outfits have once again struck the US military base of&nbsp;Kharab al-Jir in Syria. The attack took place on Friday (Dec 29) afternoon and follows the pattern of an intensified campaign of violence by the Islamist groups that want a spillover in regional tension.&nbsp;

Previously, the&nbsp;Kharab al-Jir base was attacked in October on two consecutive days. At the time, the attacks were claimed by groups either directly controlled by Tehran or sharing the ideology of other groups currently fighting Israel.

The fresh attack&nbsp;comes in the backdrop of&nbsp;the US&nbsp;military carrying out retaliatory strikes in Iraq after three American soldiers were wounded in a drone attack on December 26 by Iran-aligned terrorists.

A US base in Iraq's Erbil that houses American forces came under attack from a one-way drone earlier on Monday (Dec 25), leaving one soldier in critical condition. The retaliatory attacks were carried out at the discretion of US President Joe Biden.&nbsp;

"These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces," said&nbsp;General Michael Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-counterstrike-on-iran-backed-forces-former-retaliates-after-3-troops-hurt-world-news-wion-673669">Watch |&nbsp;US counterstrike on Iran-backed forces, former retaliates after 3 troops hurt</a>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-counterstrike-on-iran-backed-forces-former-retaliates-after-3-troops-hurt-world-news-wion-673669/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The White House has accused&nbsp;Iran of “actively facilitating” rocket and drone attacks on its forces in Iraq and Syria.&nbsp;President Joe Biden has since directed the Department of Defense to brace for&nbsp;similar attacks and respond appropriately

“Iran continues to support Hamas and Hezbollah, and we know that Iran is closely monitoring these events and, in some cases, actively facilitating these attacks and spurring on others who may want to exploit the conflict for their own good or for that of Iran,” said White House spokesman John Kirby at the time.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-carries-out-retaliatory-attacks-in-iraq-after-militants-target-military-base-leaving-three-injured-673548">Also read |&nbsp;US carries out retaliatory attacks in Iraq after militants target military base leaving three injured</a>

Despite US retaliation, the continuous attacks by Iran-backed non-state actors suggests that Tehran has an extensive&nbsp;network of well-armed, aggressive and well-coordinated proxies across the region which it has established for exactly this scenario.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

If reports are to be believed, the pro-Iranian terror outfits have once again struck the US military base of Kharab al-Jir in Syria. The attack took place on Friday (Dec 29) afternoon and follows the pattern of an intensified campaign of violence by the Islamist groups that want a spillover in regional tension.

If reports are to be believed, the pro-Iranian terror outfits have once again struck the US military base of Kharab al-Jir in Syria. The attack took place on Friday (Dec 29) afternoon and follows the pattern of an intensified campaign of violence by the Islamist groups that want a spillover in regional tension. Previously, the Kharab al-Jir base was attacked in October on two consecutive days. At the time, the attacks were claimed by groups either directly controlled by Tehran or sharing the ideology of other groups currently fighting Israel. The fresh attack comes in the backdrop of the US military carrying out retaliatory strikes in Iraq after three American soldiers were wounded in a drone attack on December 26 by Iran-aligned terrorists. A US base in Iraq's Erbil that houses American forces came under attack from a one-way drone earlier on Monday (Dec 25), leaving one soldier in critical condition. The retaliatory attacks were carried out at the discretion of US President Joe Biden. "These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces," said General Michael Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command. Watch | US counterstrike on Iran-backed forces, former retaliates after 3 troops hurt × The White House has accused Iran of “actively facilitating” rocket and drone attacks on its forces in Iraq and Syria. President Joe Biden has since directed the Department of Defense to brace for similar attacks and respond appropriately “Iran continues to support Hamas and Hezbollah, and we know that Iran is closely monitoring these events and, in some cases, actively facilitating these attacks and spurring on others who may want to exploit the conflict for their own good or for that of Iran,” said White House spokesman John Kirby at the time. Also read | US carries out retaliatory attacks in Iraq after militants target military base leaving three injured Despite US retaliation, the continuous attacks by Iran-backed non-state actors suggests that Tehran has an extensive network of well-armed, aggressive and well-coordinated proxies across the region which it has established for exactly this scenario. (With inputs from agencies)

Iran-backed Islamist terror outfits strike US base in Syria again

A woman from the United States who was raised on a farm in Kansas, converted to Islam, and then joined the Islamic State in Syria, where she oversaw an all-female combat unit, is scheduled to get her sentence on Tuesday for aiding a foreign terrorist organisation.

After pleading guilty to terrorism-related charges in June in a US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, now faces up to 20 years in prison.

"For at least eight years, Fluke-Ekren committed terrorist acts on behalf of three foreign terrorist organizations across war zones in Libya, Iraq, and Syria," US attorney Raj Parekh said in a pre-sentencing memo.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jihadist-ambush-in-burkina-faso-claims-lives-of-13-soldiers-several-injured-529605">Jihadist group ambush in Burkina Faso leaves 13 soldiers dead, several injured</a>

"Fluke-Ekren brainwashed young girls and trained them to kill," Parekh said. "She carved a path of terror, plunging her own children into unfathomable depths of cruelty by physically, psychologically, emotionally, and sexually abusing them."

In order to convince Judge Leonie Brinkema to inflict the maximum 20-year sentence, Parekh described Ekren's life&nbsp;&nbsp;from her Kansas farm upbringing until her capture in Syria following the territorial defeat of IS in 2019. Fluke-Ekren was captured in Syria.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/guantanamos-oldest-serving-prisoner-suspect-of-a-role-in-911-attack-released-after-two-decades-529536">Guantanamo's oldest serving prisoner, a 9/11 attack suspect, released after two decades</a>

Even though other Americans also went to join IS in Syria and Iraq, most of them were men, and Fluke-Ekren is the lone American woman to have held a top position within the now-defunct Islamic Caliphate.

She was referred to as a "talented" student and was born Allison Brooks; the US attorney claimed that she grew up in a "loving and stable environment" in Overbrook, Kansas.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

A woman from the United States who was raised on a farm in Kansas, converted to Islam, and then joined the Islamic State in Syria, where she oversaw an all-female combat unit, is scheduled to get her sentence on Tuesday for aiding a foreign terrorist organisation.

A woman from the United States who was raised on a farm in Kansas, converted to Islam, and then joined the Islamic State in Syria, where she oversaw an all-female combat unit, is scheduled to get her sentence on Tuesday for aiding a foreign terrorist organisation. After pleading guilty to terrorism-related charges in June in a US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, now faces up to 20 years in prison. "For at least eight years, Fluke-Ekren committed terrorist acts on behalf of three foreign terrorist organizations across war zones in Libya, Iraq, and Syria," US attorney Raj Parekh said in a pre-sentencing memo. Also read | Jihadist group ambush in Burkina Faso leaves 13 soldiers dead, several injured "Fluke-Ekren brainwashed young girls and trained them to kill," Parekh said. "She carved a path of terror, plunging her own children into unfathomable depths of cruelty by physically, psychologically, emotionally, and sexually abusing them." In order to convince Judge Leonie Brinkema to inflict the maximum 20-year sentence, Parekh described Ekren's life from her Kansas farm upbringing until her capture in Syria following the territorial defeat of IS in 2019. Fluke-Ekren was captured in Syria. Also read | Guantanamo's oldest serving prisoner, a 9/11 attack suspect, released after two decades Even though other Americans also went to join IS in Syria and Iraq, most of them were men, and Fluke-Ekren is the lone American woman to have held a top position within the now-defunct Islamic Caliphate. She was referred to as a "talented" student and was born Allison Brooks; the US attorney claimed that she grew up in a "loving and stable environment" in Overbrook, Kansas. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

US woman accused of leading all-female IS unit faces up to 20 years in jail

China abuses over a million Muslims at home, but "protects" violent Islamic terror groups from UN sanctions,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uss-pompeo-saddened-by-italy-joining-chinas-belt-and-road-project-206132">US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo</a> has said.

He was apparently referring to China blocking a proposal to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-sets-up-un-clash-with-china-over-bid-to-blacklist-jaish-e-mohammed-chief-masood-azhar-206142">Masood Azhar a 'global terrorist'</a> at the UN Security Council (UNSC) earlier this month.&nbsp;

"The world cannot afford China's shameful hypocrisy toward Muslims. On one hand, China abuses more than a million Muslims at home, but on the other it protects violent Islamic terrorist groups from sanctions at the UN," Pompeo said in a tweet Wednesday, without mentioning the JeM or the outfit's chief.

The US along with Britain and France had moved a resolution in the UNSC to designate Azhar a "global terrorist" following the February 14 Pulwama attack, but China blocked it.

China put a hold on the resolution arguing that it needs more time to study it. Every member of the UNSC, except China, had supported the US move.

The JeM had claimed responsibility for the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/jk-mastermind-of-pulwama-attack-killed-in-encounter-4-soldiers-dead-too-198057">Pulwama attack</a> in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.&nbsp;

China, Pompeo alleged, has detained more than one million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities in internment camps in Xinjiang since April 2017.

The US stands with them and their family members. China must release all those arbitrarily detained and end its repression, he said.

On Wednesday, Pompeo met with survivors and family members of China's campaign of repression and mass detention against the minority groups in Xinjiang.

I call on China to end these counterproductive policies and release all arbitrarily detained, he said.

China abuses over a million Muslims at home, but "protects" violent Islamic terror groups from UN sanctions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. He was apparently referring to China blocking a proposal to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar a 'global terrorist' at the UN Security Council (UNSC) earlier this month.

China abuses over a million Muslims at home, but "protects" violent Islamic terror groups from UN sanctions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. He was apparently referring to China blocking a proposal to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar a 'global terrorist' at the UN Security Council (UNSC) earlier this month. "The world cannot afford China's shameful hypocrisy toward Muslims. On one hand, China abuses more than a million Muslims at home, but on the other it protects violent Islamic terrorist groups from sanctions at the UN," Pompeo said in a tweet Wednesday, without mentioning the JeM or the outfit's chief. The US along with Britain and France had moved a resolution in the UNSC to designate Azhar a "global terrorist" following the February 14 Pulwama attack, but China blocked it. China put a hold on the resolution arguing that it needs more time to study it. Every member of the UNSC, except China, had supported the US move. The JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. China, Pompeo alleged, has detained more than one million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities in internment camps in Xinjiang since April 2017. The US stands with them and their family members. China must release all those arbitrarily detained and end its repression, he said. On Wednesday, Pompeo met with survivors and family members of China's campaign of repression and mass detention against the minority groups in Xinjiang. I call on China to end these counterproductive policies and release all arbitrarily detained, he said.

China protecting violent Islamist terror groups from UN sanctions: US's Mike Pompeo