A Russian pilot was killed Saturday in fighting with Islamists after his warplane was downed over northwest Syria, Russia&#39;s defence ministry and a monitor said.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a powerful jihadist-dominated alliance said, on an affiliated media channel it had shot down the plane but made no mention of the pilot.

&quot;We were able to bring down the Russian warplane with a shoulder-fired missile above Saraqib in Idlib this afternoon,&quot; said Mahmoud al-Turkmani who, according to the statement, heads HTS`s &quot;air defence brigade.&quot;

He said the attack was in retaliation for a ferocious bombing campaign by Russian warplanes over Idlib.

HTS, which is dominated by Al-Qaeda`s former affiliate in Syria, controls Idlib and has sought to fight back a ferocious Russian-backed assault by Syrian government troops.

An AFP correspondent who arrived at the crash site on Saturday saw what appeared to be the charred remains of the plane, including a wing with a red star still visible.

Firefighters arrived to put out flames that had been spewing dark smoke into the wintry Syrian sky.

The Russian defence ministry confirmed that the Su-25 aircraft was shot down over Idlib province and said the pilot was killed &quot;in fighting against terrorists.&quot;

&quot;A Russian Su-25 aircraft crashed during a flight over the Idlib de-escalation zone. The pilot had enough time to announce he had ejected into the zone,&quot; the defence ministry said.

&quot;The pilot was killed in fighting against terrorists,&quot; it said, quoted by Russian agencies.

It added that &quot;according to preliminary reports, the plane was shot down by a portable anti-aircraft missile system.&quot;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the jet was downed near the town of Saraqib in Idlib and the pilot parachuted to the ground.

He was killed clashing with rebels as they tried to take him, hostage said the Britain-based Observatory.

&quot;There have been dozens of Russian air strikes in the area over the past 24 hours. This plane was also carrying out raids there,&quot; said Abdel Rahman.

The Observatory said 20 people, including eight children, were killed on Saturday during a bombardment on Saraqib and surrounding villages.

Syria`s uprising broke out in 2011 with protests against Assad`s rule but has since morphed into a complex war drawing in global powers.

Moscow began conducting air strikes in Syria in September 2015, and its intervention has swung the nearly seven-year conflict firmly in the favour of its ally in Damascus.

Opposition factions have shot down Syrian regime planes in the past, but the downing of Russian aircraft is much rarer.

Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November 2015, leading to the worst crisis in ties between the two countries since the end of the Cold War.

And in August 2016, a Russian military helicopter was shot down over Syria and all five people on board were killed. Russia has been spearheading a more than year-long diplomatic push to try to freeze the fighting in coordination with fellow regime ally Iran and rebel backer Turkey.

Ankara has supported an array of rebel groups to fight Syria`s government, the Islamic State jihadist group, and Kurdish militia that it has blacklisted as &quot;terrorists.&quot;

On January 20, Turkey and allied rebel fighters began an offensive on the Syrian enclave of Afrin, held by the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG).

Seven Turkish soldiers were killed on Saturday as part of the assault, including five who died in a single attack on a tank, the Turkish army said.

The losses mark the highest toll in a single day for the Turkish army in operation &quot;Olive Branch.&quot;

The Observatory has also counted 104 allied rebels and 102 YPG fighters killed since the offensive began, as well as 68 civilians.

Ankara has denied targeting civilians as part of its Afrin offensive.

Mourners on Saturday gathered in Afrin to commemorate victims of the operation, including female fighter Barin Kobani whose badly mutilated body appeared in a shocking video earlier this week.

The footage sparked accusations by her family and Kurdish officials that she was &quot;defiled&quot; by Turkish-backed rebels.

The opposition`s government-in-exile said Saturday it had opened an investigation into the matter.

Thousands of people protested on Saturday in France against Turkey`s operation &quot;Olive Branch,&quot; gathering in Strasbourg and Paris to condemn the assault.

They held posters that read &quot;Defend Afrin&quot; and &quot;Erdogan assassin,&quot; in reference to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Russian defence ministry confirmed that the Su-25 aircraft was shot down over Idlib province and said the pilot was killed "in fighting against terrorists"

A Russian pilot was killed Saturday in fighting with Islamists after his warplane was downed over northwest Syria, Russia's defence ministry and a monitor said. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a powerful jihadist-dominated alliance said, on an affiliated media channel it had shot down the plane but made no mention of the pilot. "We were able to bring down the Russian warplane with a shoulder-fired missile above Saraqib in Idlib this afternoon," said Mahmoud al-Turkmani who, according to the statement, heads HTS`s "air defence brigade." He said the attack was in retaliation for a ferocious bombing campaign by Russian warplanes over Idlib. HTS, which is dominated by Al-Qaeda`s former affiliate in Syria, controls Idlib and has sought to fight back a ferocious Russian-backed assault by Syrian government troops. An AFP correspondent who arrived at the crash site on Saturday saw what appeared to be the charred remains of the plane, including a wing with a red star still visible. Firefighters arrived to put out flames that had been spewing dark smoke into the wintry Syrian sky. The Russian defence ministry confirmed that the Su-25 aircraft was shot down over Idlib province and said the pilot was killed "in fighting against terrorists." "A Russian Su-25 aircraft crashed during a flight over the Idlib de-escalation zone. The pilot had enough time to announce he had ejected into the zone," the defence ministry said. "The pilot was killed in fighting against terrorists," it said, quoted by Russian agencies. It added that "according to preliminary reports, the plane was shot down by a portable anti-aircraft missile system." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the jet was downed near the town of Saraqib in Idlib and the pilot parachuted to the ground. He was killed clashing with rebels as they tried to take him, hostage said the Britain-based Observatory. "There have been dozens of Russian air strikes in the area over the past 24 hours. This plane was also carrying out raids there," said Abdel Rahman. The Observatory said 20 people, including eight children, were killed on Saturday during a bombardment on Saraqib and surrounding villages. Syria`s uprising broke out in 2011 with protests against Assad`s rule but has since morphed into a complex war drawing in global powers. Moscow began conducting air strikes in Syria in September 2015, and its intervention has swung the nearly seven-year conflict firmly in the favour of its ally in Damascus. Opposition factions have shot down Syrian regime planes in the past, but the downing of Russian aircraft is much rarer. Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November 2015, leading to the worst crisis in ties between the two countries since the end of the Cold War. And in August 2016, a Russian military helicopter was shot down over Syria and all five people on board were killed. Russia has been spearheading a more than year-long diplomatic push to try to freeze the fighting in coordination with fellow regime ally Iran and rebel backer Turkey. Ankara has supported an array of rebel groups to fight Syria`s government, the Islamic State jihadist group, and Kurdish militia that it has blacklisted as "terrorists." On January 20, Turkey and allied rebel fighters began an offensive on the Syrian enclave of Afrin, held by the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG). Seven Turkish soldiers were killed on Saturday as part of the assault, including five who died in a single attack on a tank, the Turkish army said. The losses mark the highest toll in a single day for the Turkish army in operation "Olive Branch." The Observatory has also counted 104 allied rebels and 102 YPG fighters killed since the offensive began, as well as 68 civilians. Ankara has denied targeting civilians as part of its Afrin offensive. Mourners on Saturday gathered in Afrin to commemorate victims of the operation, including female fighter Barin Kobani whose badly mutilated body appeared in a shocking video earlier this week. The footage sparked accusations by her family and Kurdish officials that she was "defiled" by Turkish-backed rebels. The opposition`s government-in-exile said Saturday it had opened an investigation into the matter. Thousands of people protested on Saturday in France against Turkey`s operation "Olive Branch," gathering in Strasbourg and Paris to condemn the assault. They held posters that read "Defend Afrin" and "Erdogan assassin," in reference to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Russian jet shot down in Syria, pilot killed by militants

A British terrorist&nbsp;who fought to overturn Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi and joined the ranks of the Islamic State group in Syria was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday.

Mohammed Abdallah, 26, who has dual British and Libyan nationality, joined the &quot;Tripoli Brigade&quot; in 2011 along with his brother, Abdalraouf.

Abdallah&#39;s brother was shot and paralysed from the waist down in battle, the trial in London heard.

In 2014, Abdallah headed to Syria with help from his wheelchair-bound brother, who set up a &quot;hub&quot; for would be Islamic State fighters from his home in Manchester, northern England.

He was arrested when he returned to London&#39;s Heathrow airport in September 2014.

In 2016, Sky News published files from an Islamic State defector which listed Abdallah as a specialist sniper with expertise in using the &quot;Dushka&quot; - a Russian-made heavy machine gun.

Abdallah was found guilty on Thursday of possessing a Kalashnikov assault rifle, receiving &pound;2,000 (2,300 euros, $2,700) for terrorism and membership of Islamic State.

Abdallah in court denied pledging allegiance to Islamic State and said he was instead imprisoned by jihadists. He claimed he had only travelled to Syria to donate money to poor people.

But judge Maura McGowan said Abdallah had &quot;bragged&quot; about acquiring weapons and was &quot;totally committed&quot; to signing up to the Islamic State group.

&quot;Your commitment to violence abroad is clear and you have not shown any sign of changing your views or attitudes,&quot; she said.

Abdallah&#39;s trial was delayed after a terror attack at Manchester Arena in May this year by bomber Salman Abedi, in which 22 people were killed.

Abedi attended the same mosque as the Abdallah brothers and reportedly visited Abdalraouf in prison in the months leading up to the attack.

Mohammed Abdallah, 26, who has dual British and Libyan nationality, joined the 'Tripoli Brigade' in 2011 along with his brother, Abdalraouf

A British terrorist who fought to overturn Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi and joined the ranks of the Islamic State group in Syria was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday. Mohammed Abdallah, 26, who has dual British and Libyan nationality, joined the "Tripoli Brigade" in 2011 along with his brother, Abdalraouf. Abdallah's brother was shot and paralysed from the waist down in battle, the trial in London heard. In 2014, Abdallah headed to Syria with help from his wheelchair-bound brother, who set up a "hub" for would be Islamic State fighters from his home in Manchester, northern England. He was arrested when he returned to London's Heathrow airport in September 2014. In 2016, Sky News published files from an Islamic State defector which listed Abdallah as a specialist sniper with expertise in using the "Dushka" - a Russian-made heavy machine gun. Abdallah was found guilty on Thursday of possessing a Kalashnikov assault rifle, receiving £2,000 (2,300 euros, $2,700) for terrorism and membership of Islamic State. Abdallah in court denied pledging allegiance to Islamic State and said he was instead imprisoned by jihadists. He claimed he had only travelled to Syria to donate money to poor people. But judge Maura McGowan said Abdallah had "bragged" about acquiring weapons and was "totally committed" to signing up to the Islamic State group. "Your commitment to violence abroad is clear and you have not shown any sign of changing your views or attitudes," she said. Abdallah's trial was delayed after a terror attack at Manchester Arena in May this year by bomber Salman Abedi, in which 22 people were killed. Abedi attended the same mosque as the Abdallah brothers and reportedly visited Abdalraouf in prison in the months leading up to the attack.

British terrorist who fought in Syria gets 10-year jail

Islamic State is looking to expand its reach in Southeast Asia, according to a senior&nbsp;official working for the US Department of State. 
 
The jihadist militant group is trying to broaden its network in the region by joining forces with local extremists,&nbsp;said Justin Siberell,&nbsp;acting coordinator for counter-terrorism at the US State Department. 
 
He&nbsp;said the IS&#39;s plans to forge ties with regional jihadists was similar to the way they expanded in Egypt, Libya and Nigeria.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;My understanding is that they have looked at existing groups across the (Southeast) region,&quot; Siberell said via a concall from Washington. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re concerned about the rise of new IS affiliates and we&#39;re working with governments to do what they can to prevent that,&quot; he told Asia-based journalists. 
 
Siberell also informed people from Southeast Asia fighting for IS have been grouped in a unit called&nbsp;Katibah Nusantara. The worry, he said, was the potential consequences in the region once they returned home.&nbsp;

There have been minor attacks in the region so far, but the analyst&nbsp;reckoned that terrorism activities might surge once the IS&#39;s networking in the region strengthened. 
 
The attacks so far in the region have remained largely low&nbsp;key. Terror cells are active in the region but the devastation levels have been far below to what Europe has experienced in recent times.&nbsp; 
 
But recent attacks in Malaysia and Indonesia have alarmed security analysts. In June, eight people were wounded in a grenade attack outside a bar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The following month, IS planned to launch a suicide bomb attack on Indonesian police, only for the plan to derail as the blast killed only the bomber. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

 
 
 
&nbsp;

A senior state department official said the jihadist group is looking to partner with local extremist forces in the region

Islamic State is looking to expand its reach in Southeast Asia, according to a senior official working for the US Department of State. The jihadist militant group is trying to broaden its network in the region by joining forces with local extremists, said Justin Siberell, acting coordinator for counter-terrorism at the US State Department. He said the IS's plans to forge ties with regional jihadists was similar to the way they expanded in Egypt, Libya and Nigeria. "My understanding is that they have looked at existing groups across the (Southeast) region," Siberell said via a concall from Washington. "We're concerned about the rise of new IS affiliates and we're working with governments to do what they can to prevent that," he told Asia-based journalists. Siberell also informed people from Southeast Asia fighting for IS have been grouped in a unit called Katibah Nusantara. The worry, he said, was the potential consequences in the region once they returned home. There have been minor attacks in the region so far, but the analyst reckoned that terrorism activities might surge once the IS's networking in the region strengthened. The attacks so far in the region have remained largely low key. Terror cells are active in the region but the devastation levels have been far below to what Europe has experienced in recent times. But recent attacks in Malaysia and Indonesia have alarmed security analysts. In June, eight people were wounded in a grenade attack outside a bar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The following month, IS planned to launch a suicide bomb attack on Indonesian police, only for the plan to derail as the blast killed only the bomber. (WION with inputs from agencies)

IS looking to expand reach in Southeast Asia: US

The nephew of the governor of a key province where Iraqi forces are battling the Islamic State group has been gunned down in the country&#39;s north, officials said today. 
 
The shooting in Iraqi Kurdish regional capital Arbil came just hours after Nowfal al-Aqoub, the governor of Nineveh, made controversial remarks about children being fathered by IS fighters in the province. 
 
The killing of Aqoub&#39;s nephew, who was also his personal driver, comes as Iraqi forces prepare for the battle to retake Mosul, the capital of Nineveh and the last city in the country still held by the jihadists. 
 
Sifuk Watban al-Sultan died of a single gunshot to the head yesterday night near the governor&#39;s house in Arbil, the governor&#39;s secretary told AFP, asking that he not be identified by name. 
 
A Nineveh provincial councillor, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sultan`s death, saying that Kurdish security forces had subsequently removed surveillance cameras from the house as part of the investigation. 
 
The motive for the killing was not immediately clear, but it came after Aqoub made remarks at a conference in Baghdad earlier yesterday that were criticised by a political rival. 
 
The governor said that IS fighters had fathered children under temporary marriages as part of so-called &quot;sexual jihad&quot;, a practice used by the jihadist group to motivate its militants. 
 
Some of the women involved - including some of those who travelled to the Middle East to support IS - have apparently participated voluntarily, but others may have been coerced. 
 
While Aqoub was apparently criticising IS, the office of former parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi issued a statement accusing him of insulting the women of Mosul. 
 
Iraqi forces have been conducting operations to set the stage for the battle to retake Mosul from IS, which has held it since June 2014, but they still have significant ground to cover as well as logistical preparations to make before a final assault can be launched. 
 
(AFP)

The shooting in Arbil came after the governor made controversial remarks about children being fathered by IS fighters in the province

The nephew of the governor of a key province where Iraqi forces are battling the Islamic State group has been gunned down in the country's north, officials said today. The shooting in Iraqi Kurdish regional capital Arbil came just hours after Nowfal al-Aqoub, the governor of Nineveh, made controversial remarks about children being fathered by IS fighters in the province. The killing of Aqoub's nephew, who was also his personal driver, comes as Iraqi forces prepare for the battle to retake Mosul, the capital of Nineveh and the last city in the country still held by the jihadists. Sifuk Watban al-Sultan died of a single gunshot to the head yesterday night near the governor's house in Arbil, the governor's secretary told AFP, asking that he not be identified by name. A Nineveh provincial councillor, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sultan`s death, saying that Kurdish security forces had subsequently removed surveillance cameras from the house as part of the investigation. The motive for the killing was not immediately clear, but it came after Aqoub made remarks at a conference in Baghdad earlier yesterday that were criticised by a political rival. The governor said that IS fighters had fathered children under temporary marriages as part of so-called "sexual jihad", a practice used by the jihadist group to motivate its militants. Some of the women involved - including some of those who travelled to the Middle East to support IS - have apparently participated voluntarily, but others may have been coerced. While Aqoub was apparently criticising IS, the office of former parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi issued a statement accusing him of insulting the women of Mosul. Iraqi forces have been conducting operations to set the stage for the battle to retake Mosul from IS, which has held it since June 2014, but they still have significant ground to cover as well as logistical preparations to make before a final assault can be launched. (AFP)

Iraq governor's nephew gunned down

The second &#39;jihadist&#39; involved in a French church attack had tried to travel to Syria, prosecutors said today as calls mounted for the prime minister and interior minister to resign after the latest terror attack. 
 
The prosecutor&#39;s office said that the second killer was 19-year-old Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France&#39;s &quot;Fiche S&quot; of people posing a potential threat to national security in June after trying to reach Syria from Turkey. 
 
Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche, 19, and investigators confirmed his identity after a DNA match with his mother. 
 
&#39;Petitjean described perfectly normal&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Petitjean was described as perfectly normal by his incredulous family and friends. 
 
Unlike his accomplice, Petitjean never raised suspicions for radicalisation among his neighbours, and was unknown to police until last month when he tried to go to Syria. 
 
Petitjean was born to a family of Algerian origin and lived in the quiet lakeside town of Aix-les-Bains in the shadow of the Alps, popular with visitors seeking thermal cures. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/france-20160728104730.jpg" />

<div class="media-description">
Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche
</div>

 
The resort is 700 kilometres (430 miles) from the industrial Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where Petitjean and Kermich stormed a church and took hostages on Tuesday. 
 
He and Kermiche, also a Frenchman born to an Algerian family, slit the 86-year-old priest&#39;s throat at the altar. Another elderly worshipper was severely injured but several other hostages escaped unharmed. 
 
Both assailants were shot dead by police. 
 
&#39;What was inside his head?&#39; 
 
Djamel Tazghat, who manages the local mosque in the Aix-les-Bains suburb where Petitjean lived in social housing, said he recognised the young man in a video published by the Islamic State group in which the two pledged allegiance to the jihadist movement. 
 
&quot;I liked him a lot. We never had a problem with him at the mosque. No strange observations, he was always smiling... It&#39;s incredible,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;All the believers are shocked because he was known for his kindness, his calm. We never had any sign of radicalisation. What was going on inside his head?&quot; 
 
Petitjean -- whose identity card was found at Kermiche&#39;s house -- had never been convicted of a crime in France so his DNA and fingerprints were not available to speed up the identification process. 
 
Sources say that after being gunned down by police, the second attacker&#39;s face was too disfigured to allow him to be clearly identified, and that his DNA had to be matched to that of his mother. 
 
He came onto the radar of French police in June after he tried to travel to Syria from Turkey, and was placed on France&#39;s &quot;Fiche S&quot; of people posing a potential threat to national security. 
 
Sources close to the investigation said Petitjean &quot;strongly resembles&quot; a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror. 
 
The sources said France&#39;s anti-terrorism police unit UCLAT sent out a note four days before the attack -- saying it had received &quot;reliable&quot; information about a person &quot;about to carry out an attack on national territory&quot;. 
 
Three members of Petitjean&#39;s family were taken in for questioning, said a source close to the investigation. 
 
Unlike Kermiche and other jihadists carrying out recent attacks in Europe, there have been no indications that Petitjean suffered from psychological problems. 
 
 
&#39;Hard to believe&#39; 
 
After finishing high school in 2015, Petitjean&nbsp;worked part-time sales jobs and his resume said he liked science-fiction movies, video games, music and boxing. 
 
&quot;It is hard to believe. He was against Daesh. He was not radical at all,&quot; said Hakim, 17, who claimed he was Petitjean&#39;s friend. 
 
His mother, Yamina Boukessoula, refused to believe her son was involved when she spoke to AFP just hours before the official confirmation. 
 
&quot;He was a good French citizen. He is gentle. I know my child, I know my son. He was not involved at all,&quot; she said. 
 
Petitjean grew up with two sisters in a blended family. 
 
His mother said he had left their home on Monday to visit his cousin in the northeastern city of Nancy. 
 
His last text message to his mother came on Tuesday morning, just before the attack: &quot;Don&#39;t worry, everything is fine... I love you.&quot; 
 
On Wednesday afternoon his mother, still refusing to believe her son was involved, sent him a final message: &quot;Malik, it&#39;s mum, I don&#39;t know where you are. I have bad news. Call me. The police have come, they are talking rubbish. I hope nothing has happened to you my son. I love you. I miss you so much.&quot; 
 
 
&#39;Government guilty of being unable to stop attacks&#39; 
 
The attack came as the government was already facing a firestorm of criticism over alleged security failings after the Bastille Day truck massacre that left 84 dead two weeks ago. 
 
A brief show of political unity at a mass attended by different faiths in Paris on Wednesday quickly dissolved as Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve faced fresh calls to resign. 
 
&quot;If the government is not responsible for the wave of terrorism, it is guilty of not having done everything to stop it,&quot; said Laurent Wauqiez, the deputy leader of the right-wing Republicans party in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper. 
 
&quot;Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve must go because they refuse to take vital measures to fight Islamism.&nbsp;We need a new government, determined to act&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
France to form National Guard&nbsp; 
 
The French government has assured the country that everything possible is being done to protect citizens, while warning that more terror attacks are inevitable, after three major strikes and several smaller attacks in the past 18 months. 
 
President Francois Hollande confirmed today that the creation of a National Guard to be made up of reserve forces, after the government earlier urged &quot;patriots&quot; to sign up to become reservists. 
 
Hollande said parliamentary consultations on the formation of the force would take place in September &quot;so that this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French&quot;. 
 
The government has faced tough questions as it emerged both church attackers were on the radar of intelligence services, and had tried to go to Syria. 
 
One of the criticisms is that Kermiche had been released from prison while awaiting trial on terror charges after his second attempt to travel to Syria. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

The second killer was Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France's 'Fiche S' of people posing a potential threat to national security

The second 'jihadist' involved in a French church attack had tried to travel to Syria, prosecutors said today as calls mounted for the prime minister and interior minister to resign after the latest terror attack. The prosecutor's office said that the second killer was 19-year-old Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France's "Fiche S" of people posing a potential threat to national security in June after trying to reach Syria from Turkey. Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche, 19, and investigators confirmed his identity after a DNA match with his mother. 'Petitjean described perfectly normal' Petitjean was described as perfectly normal by his incredulous family and friends. Unlike his accomplice, Petitjean never raised suspicions for radicalisation among his neighbours, and was unknown to police until last month when he tried to go to Syria. Petitjean was born to a family of Algerian origin and lived in the quiet lakeside town of Aix-les-Bains in the shadow of the Alps, popular with visitors seeking thermal cures. Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche The resort is 700 kilometres (430 miles) from the industrial Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where Petitjean and Kermich stormed a church and took hostages on Tuesday. He and Kermiche, also a Frenchman born to an Algerian family, slit the 86-year-old priest's throat at the altar. Another elderly worshipper was severely injured but several other hostages escaped unharmed. Both assailants were shot dead by police. 'What was inside his head?' Djamel Tazghat, who manages the local mosque in the Aix-les-Bains suburb where Petitjean lived in social housing, said he recognised the young man in a video published by the Islamic State group in which the two pledged allegiance to the jihadist movement. "I liked him a lot. We never had a problem with him at the mosque. No strange observations, he was always smiling... It's incredible," he said. "All the believers are shocked because he was known for his kindness, his calm. We never had any sign of radicalisation. What was going on inside his head?" Petitjean -- whose identity card was found at Kermiche's house -- had never been convicted of a crime in France so his DNA and fingerprints were not available to speed up the identification process. Sources say that after being gunned down by police, the second attacker's face was too disfigured to allow him to be clearly identified, and that his DNA had to be matched to that of his mother. He came onto the radar of French police in June after he tried to travel to Syria from Turkey, and was placed on France's "Fiche S" of people posing a potential threat to national security. Sources close to the investigation said Petitjean "strongly resembles" a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror. The sources said France's anti-terrorism police unit UCLAT sent out a note four days before the attack -- saying it had received "reliable" information about a person "about to carry out an attack on national territory". Three members of Petitjean's family were taken in for questioning, said a source close to the investigation. Unlike Kermiche and other jihadists carrying out recent attacks in Europe, there have been no indications that Petitjean suffered from psychological problems. 'Hard to believe' After finishing high school in 2015, Petitjean worked part-time sales jobs and his resume said he liked science-fiction movies, video games, music and boxing. "It is hard to believe. He was against Daesh. He was not radical at all," said Hakim, 17, who claimed he was Petitjean's friend. His mother, Yamina Boukessoula, refused to believe her son was involved when she spoke to AFP just hours before the official confirmation. "He was a good French citizen. He is gentle. I know my child, I know my son. He was not involved at all," she said. Petitjean grew up with two sisters in a blended family. His mother said he had left their home on Monday to visit his cousin in the northeastern city of Nancy. His last text message to his mother came on Tuesday morning, just before the attack: "Don't worry, everything is fine... I love you." On Wednesday afternoon his mother, still refusing to believe her son was involved, sent him a final message: "Malik, it's mum, I don't know where you are. I have bad news. Call me. The police have come, they are talking rubbish. I hope nothing has happened to you my son. I love you. I miss you so much." 'Government guilty of being unable to stop attacks' The attack came as the government was already facing a firestorm of criticism over alleged security failings after the Bastille Day truck massacre that left 84 dead two weeks ago. A brief show of political unity at a mass attended by different faiths in Paris on Wednesday quickly dissolved as Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve faced fresh calls to resign. "If the government is not responsible for the wave of terrorism, it is guilty of not having done everything to stop it," said Laurent Wauqiez, the deputy leader of the right-wing Republicans party in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper. "Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve must go because they refuse to take vital measures to fight Islamism. We need a new government, determined to act". France to form National Guard The French government has assured the country that everything possible is being done to protect citizens, while warning that more terror attacks are inevitable, after three major strikes and several smaller attacks in the past 18 months. President Francois Hollande confirmed today that the creation of a National Guard to be made up of reserve forces, after the government earlier urged "patriots" to sign up to become reservists. Hollande said parliamentary consultations on the formation of the force would take place in September "so that this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French". The government has faced tough questions as it emerged both church attackers were on the radar of intelligence services, and had tried to go to Syria. One of the criticisms is that Kermiche had been released from prison while awaiting trial on terror charges after his second attempt to travel to Syria. (AFP)

France church attack: Second suspect 'never raised suspicions for radicalisation'

Bangladesh has been hit by a surge in Islamist attacks in the past three years that reached new heights last weekend when 20 hostages were murdered in Dhaka. 
 
The wave of attacks has been notably brutal with many of the victims, including the hostages, hacked to death with machetes. 
 
One week on from the end of the siege at an upmarket cafe in the capital, AFP looks at some of the factors that might be responsible for fuelling the attacks and at how the government is reacting: 
 
Bangladesh has been blighted by unrest since it broke from Pakistan in a war of independence in 1971 and has witnessed more than a dozen coups. 
 
Islamist groups such as Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and the newer Ansarullah Bangla Team have long posed a challenge to authorities, with the JMB killing at least 28 people in a bombing campaign in 2005. 
 
The group, blamed by the government for the Dhaka siege, was banned after the 2005 attacks and is seen as a largely spent force following the subsequent arrest and execution of its leaders. 
 
While the 2005 attacks were largely indiscriminate, the recent killings have had specific targets, including secular bloggers and gay activists. 
 
Members of minority groups such as Hindus, Christians and Sufi Muslims have also been victims, with many of them hacked to death. 
 
Although a handful of foreigners had previously been killed, last weekend&#39;s siege was by far the deadliest attack. 
 
The victims included nine Italians and seven Japanese. Experts point to several factors behind the recent violence, including the execution of top Islamists over their role in the independence war. 
 
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in 2013 to protest at the guilty verdicts handed down by a domestic tribunal that critics say was intent on neutering opposition to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 
 
The Supreme Court then barred the biggest Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami from contesting the 2014 general election, disenfranchising millions of supporters. 
 
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, allied to Jamaat, subsequently boycotted the polls. What was then effectively a one-horse race was held against the backdrop of firebombings across the country. 
 
Many observers say the lack of genuine democracy has made Bangladesh a fertile ground for extremists. 
 
&quot;There is a lot of support for the organisations (Hasina) is trying to quash,&quot; said C. Christine Fair, associate professor at Georgetown University in Washington and South Asia expert. 
 
&quot;The country is torn. She is essentially silencing, politically, half the country. &quot;Both the Islamic State (IS) organisation and the competing Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) have claimed many of the attacks. 
 
However, the government insists international jihadist networks have not got a foothold in Bangladesh and that local extremists are culpable. 
 
There is little evidence that IS trains and funds attackers in the country, although it has recruited Bangladeshis to fight in Syria.&nbsp; 
 
More likely, analysts say, is that radicalised youths are being inspired by the group and pledge allegiance -- a murky line in the age of social media. 
 
During the cafe siege, IS was sent gruesome pictures of the carnage by the attackers, which it immediately distributed via its affiliate news agency Amaq. 
 
Al-Qaeda may have more of a claim of presence in Bangladesh, with Bangladeshi fighters aiding the anti-Soviet mujahedeen in Afghanistan as far back as the 1980s. 
 
&quot;The ties to AQIS are much more credible. South Asia is Al-Qaeda territory,&quot; said Fair. The use of machetes has become a chilling hallmark of the murders and nearly all the slain hostages were attacked with sharp blades, even though their killers had automatic weapons. 
 
Some experts say a lack of access to suicide vests or car bombs explains the prevalence of machete attacks, but others see a more deliberate reason behind the brutal killing style. 
 
&quot;They wanted to show the world that they can go to any extent for jihad,&quot; said K G Suresh of New Delhi&#39;s Vivekananda International Foundation think-tank. Bangladesh is intensely politically polarised, characterised by a poisonous rivalry between Hasina and the main opposition leader Khaleda Zia that stretches back decades. 
 
Although around 90 per cent of Bangladesh&#39;s 160 million-strong population is Muslim, mostly Sunni, the nation is officially secular. 
 
Creeping popular support for fundamentalism has led to mounting calls for Islamist representation in government and public life.&nbsp; 
 
One recent study found around 47 per cent of Bangladeshis say suicide bombing is justifiable to defend Islam, higher than other Muslim-majority nation in South and Southeast Asia. 
 
(AFP)

12 hours, six terrorists and 29 dead, the Dhaka siege was one of the deadliest in a spate of violence that Bangladesh has been witnessing

Bangladesh has been hit by a surge in Islamist attacks in the past three years that reached new heights last weekend when 20 hostages were murdered in Dhaka. The wave of attacks has been notably brutal with many of the victims, including the hostages, hacked to death with machetes. One week on from the end of the siege at an upmarket cafe in the capital, AFP looks at some of the factors that might be responsible for fuelling the attacks and at how the government is reacting: Bangladesh has been blighted by unrest since it broke from Pakistan in a war of independence in 1971 and has witnessed more than a dozen coups. Islamist groups such as Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and the newer Ansarullah Bangla Team have long posed a challenge to authorities, with the JMB killing at least 28 people in a bombing campaign in 2005. The group, blamed by the government for the Dhaka siege, was banned after the 2005 attacks and is seen as a largely spent force following the subsequent arrest and execution of its leaders. While the 2005 attacks were largely indiscriminate, the recent killings have had specific targets, including secular bloggers and gay activists. Members of minority groups such as Hindus, Christians and Sufi Muslims have also been victims, with many of them hacked to death. Although a handful of foreigners had previously been killed, last weekend's siege was by far the deadliest attack. The victims included nine Italians and seven Japanese. Experts point to several factors behind the recent violence, including the execution of top Islamists over their role in the independence war. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in 2013 to protest at the guilty verdicts handed down by a domestic tribunal that critics say was intent on neutering opposition to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The Supreme Court then barred the biggest Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami from contesting the 2014 general election, disenfranchising millions of supporters. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, allied to Jamaat, subsequently boycotted the polls. What was then effectively a one-horse race was held against the backdrop of firebombings across the country. Many observers say the lack of genuine democracy has made Bangladesh a fertile ground for extremists. "There is a lot of support for the organisations (Hasina) is trying to quash," said C. Christine Fair, associate professor at Georgetown University in Washington and South Asia expert. "The country is torn. She is essentially silencing, politically, half the country. "Both the Islamic State (IS) organisation and the competing Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) have claimed many of the attacks. However, the government insists international jihadist networks have not got a foothold in Bangladesh and that local extremists are culpable. There is little evidence that IS trains and funds attackers in the country, although it has recruited Bangladeshis to fight in Syria. More likely, analysts say, is that radicalised youths are being inspired by the group and pledge allegiance -- a murky line in the age of social media. During the cafe siege, IS was sent gruesome pictures of the carnage by the attackers, which it immediately distributed via its affiliate news agency Amaq. Al-Qaeda may have more of a claim of presence in Bangladesh, with Bangladeshi fighters aiding the anti-Soviet mujahedeen in Afghanistan as far back as the 1980s. "The ties to AQIS are much more credible. South Asia is Al-Qaeda territory," said Fair. The use of machetes has become a chilling hallmark of the murders and nearly all the slain hostages were attacked with sharp blades, even though their killers had automatic weapons. Some experts say a lack of access to suicide vests or car bombs explains the prevalence of machete attacks, but others see a more deliberate reason behind the brutal killing style. "They wanted to show the world that they can go to any extent for jihad," said K G Suresh of New Delhi's Vivekananda International Foundation think-tank. Bangladesh is intensely politically polarised, characterised by a poisonous rivalry between Hasina and the main opposition leader Khaleda Zia that stretches back decades. Although around 90 per cent of Bangladesh's 160 million-strong population is Muslim, mostly Sunni, the nation is officially secular. Creeping popular support for fundamentalism has led to mounting calls for Islamist representation in government and public life. One recent study found around 47 per cent of Bangladeshis say suicide bombing is justifiable to defend Islam, higher than other Muslim-majority nation in South and Southeast Asia. (AFP)

Rising violence in Bangladesh: What's behind it?

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

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

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

Bangladesh 'in denial' over jihadist attacks: analysts

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

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

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

Tunisia to try son of Istanbul attack victim over joining IS

Somalia&#39;s al-Shabaab jihadists have confirmed the death of a commander suspected of organising the 2015 attack on Kenya&#39;s Garissa University that left 148 people dead. 
 
The killing of Mohamed Mohamud, aka Dulyadin, was announced by Somali officials on June 1, and Shabaab confirmed his death with the release of an obituary yesterday. 
 
&quot;We console ourselves and our nation for the martyrdom of the Muslim knight commander Sheik Mohamed Mohamud Ali (Dulyadin). May Allah accept him and lift him to paradise,&quot; it said. 
 
Shabaab said the commander, also know by the aliases &#39;Kuno&#39; and &#39;Gamadhere&#39;, was killed by &quot;US crusaders&quot;. 
 
Somali officials had said he died in a Somali special forces raid close to the southern port town of Kismayo. Somalia&#39;s special forces are trained by, and receive logistical support from, the US. 
 
Mohamud, a Kenyan national and an ethnic Somali, was killed alongside three other commanders and his body later put on display by local authorities. 
(AFP)

He died earlier in June but was made official in obituary by the jihadist outfit only yesterday

Somalia's al-Shabaab jihadists have confirmed the death of a commander suspected of organising the 2015 attack on Kenya's Garissa University that left 148 people dead. The killing of Mohamed Mohamud, aka Dulyadin, was announced by Somali officials on June 1, and Shabaab confirmed his death with the release of an obituary yesterday. "We console ourselves and our nation for the martyrdom of the Muslim knight commander Sheik Mohamed Mohamud Ali (Dulyadin). May Allah accept him and lift him to paradise," it said. Shabaab said the commander, also know by the aliases 'Kuno' and 'Gamadhere', was killed by "US crusaders". Somali officials had said he died in a Somali special forces raid close to the southern port town of Kismayo. Somalia's special forces are trained by, and receive logistical support from, the US. Mohamud, a Kenyan national and an ethnic Somali, was killed alongside three other commanders and his body later put on display by local authorities. (AFP)

al-Shabaab confirms commander, who allegedly organised university attack killing 148, dead

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{7925e5b9-6228-427f-a482-00fa781626e1}{172}" paraid="1780931624" style="text-align: justify;" >The main suspect in the murder of the Bangladesh bloggers,&nbsp;Avijit&nbsp;Roy and&nbsp;Niladri&nbsp;Chattopadhyay&nbsp;Niloy, was killed in an&nbsp;alleged gunfight with the police in capital Dhaka&#39;s&nbsp;Khilgaon&nbsp;area early on Sunday. 
&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{05a0032d-ac79-453f-a114-958b5ecea2d7}{96}" paraid="295924590" style="text-align: justify;" >The suspect,&nbsp;Shariful&nbsp;alias&nbsp;Sakib&nbsp;alias Sharif alias Saleh alias&nbsp;Arif&nbsp;alias Hadi-1, was a top&nbsp;organiser&nbsp;of&nbsp;Ansarullah&nbsp;Bangla Team (ABT), Bangladesh&nbsp;newspaper,&nbsp;The Daily Star, reported&nbsp;Musudur&nbsp;Rahman, a Dhaka police officer&nbsp;as saying. ABT is a banned militant group.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{984d1263-ec83-482f-8a1a-583559350cb5}{12}" paraid="1413621411" style="text-align: justify;" >The &quot;gunfight&quot;&nbsp;apparently took place&nbsp;at&nbsp;Meradiya&nbsp;Banshpotti&nbsp;at about 2.00 am on Sunday.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{7362ad74-bce9-4f03-84af-fcff745e99de}{173}" paraid="1819828175" style="text-align: justify;" >The police had claimed they found evidence that&nbsp;Shariful&nbsp;was present at&nbsp;Dhaka University where&nbsp;Avijit&nbsp;Roy was hacked to death with&nbsp;machetes&nbsp;on February 26, 2015 and of his involvement even in the killing of&nbsp;Niladri&nbsp;Niloy.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{7d89d678-a532-47d7-8f4a-8dd68125f7d7}{27}" paraid="895991529" style="text-align: justify;" > 
Shariful, who was originally from Khulna,&nbsp;played an important role in the recruitment of ABT members, apart from providing training in&nbsp;firearms and information technology&nbsp;to the new recruits, as per the Dhaka metropolitan police&#39;s website.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{7362ad74-bce9-4f03-84af-fcff745e99de}{159}" paraid="1494492534" style="text-align: justify;" > 
He&nbsp;was also linked to the murder attempt on&nbsp;publisher Ahmed Rashid&nbsp;Tutul&nbsp;at&nbsp;Lalmatia&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;killing of&nbsp;Riyad&nbsp;Morshed&nbsp;Babu, a student of Shanta Mariam University.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{7362ad74-bce9-4f03-84af-fcff745e99de}{161}" paraid="1062033893" style="text-align: justify;" > 
This is not all, the police said&nbsp;Shariful&nbsp;was&nbsp;one of the brains behind the murders of&nbsp;Jagriti&nbsp;Prokashoni&nbsp;owner,&nbsp;Faisal&nbsp;Arefin&nbsp;Dipan, blogger&nbsp;Oyashiqur&nbsp;Rahman&nbsp;Babu, secular activist&nbsp;Nazim&nbsp;Uddin&nbsp;Samad&nbsp;and LGBT rights activist&nbsp;Xulhaz&nbsp;Mannan&nbsp;and his friend&nbsp;Mahbub&nbsp;Tonoy.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{87805b9a-9ccf-46cd-b117-e1b01fe3d6f0}{205}" paraid="1372513054" style="text-align: justify;" > 
The alleged gun fight took place within hours of&nbsp;another&nbsp;suspected militant, nineteen-year-old&nbsp;Golam&nbsp;Faizullah&nbsp;Fahim, being killed in a&nbsp;reported ambush&nbsp;when he was taken along on a search for his Islamist associates, the police claimed.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{e4ca9fd8-f38a-4e36-8526-4567b7e7bdbc}{166}" paraid="1621426751" style="text-align: justify;" > 
The search team was reportedly&nbsp;ambushed in a farmland.&nbsp;Faizullah&nbsp;was in police custody for questioning for attacking Hindu mathematics lecturer Ripon&nbsp;Chakrabarti&nbsp;and grievously injuring him&nbsp;in Bangladesh&#39;s&nbsp;Madaripur. Eyewitnesses managed to catch him and hand him to the police.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{57b998cf-5434-431a-b2c2-d45e1cf5717d}{75}" paraid="1784564055" style="text-align: justify;" > 
As per the police,&nbsp;Fahim&nbsp;was a college student and was a member of the banned Islamist group&nbsp;Hizb&nbsp;ut-Tahrir&nbsp;--&nbsp;an international group which wants to combine all Muslim countries in a unitary Islamic state. The group is outlawed in several countries, including Bangladesh.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{74659285-ee64-4e3d-82d9-6922b2b828be}{52}" paraid="1214658543" style="text-align: justify;" > 
Seven suspected Islamist militants have now been shot dead since Bangladesh launched a nationwide crackdown on local jihadist groups in the wake of a spike in the murders of secular activists and religious minorities.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The drive has seen more than 11,000 people including 194 militants arrested over the past week despite widespread criticism by local and international human rights groups.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{74659285-ee64-4e3d-82d9-6922b2b828be}{74}" paraid="840182797" style="text-align: justify;" > 
Nearly 50 people have been killed over the last three years in a wave of gruesome murders targeting Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims, secular activists and foreigners, with most blamed on or claimed by Islamist militants.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Many of the victims were hacked to death with machetes.&nbsp; 
(WION)</div>

Seven Islamist militants have been shot dead since Bangladesh started its crackdown on Jihadist groups

The main suspect in the murder of the Bangladesh bloggers, Avijit Roy and Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy, was killed in an alleged gunfight with the police in capital Dhaka's Khilgaon area early on Sunday. The suspect, Shariful alias Sakib alias Sharif alias Saleh alias Arif alias Hadi-1, was a top organiser of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Bangladesh newspaper, The Daily Star, reported Musudur Rahman, a Dhaka police officer as saying. ABT is a banned militant group. The "gunfight" apparently took place at Meradiya Banshpotti at about 2.00 am on Sunday. The police had claimed they found evidence that Shariful was present at Dhaka University where Avijit Roy was hacked to death with machetes on February 26, 2015 and of his involvement even in the killing of Niladri Niloy. Shariful, who was originally from Khulna, played an important role in the recruitment of ABT members, apart from providing training in firearms and information technology to the new recruits, as per the Dhaka metropolitan police's website. He was also linked to the murder attempt on publisher Ahmed Rashid Tutul at Lalmatia and the killing of Riyad Morshed Babu, a student of Shanta Mariam University. This is not all, the police said Shariful was one of the brains behind the murders of Jagriti Prokashoni owner, Faisal Arefin Dipan, blogger Oyashiqur Rahman Babu, secular activist Nazim Uddin Samad and LGBT rights activist Xulhaz Mannan and his friend Mahbub Tonoy. The alleged gun fight took place within hours of another suspected militant, nineteen-year-old Golam Faizullah Fahim, being killed in a reported ambush when he was taken along on a search for his Islamist associates, the police claimed. The search team was reportedly ambushed in a farmland. Faizullah was in police custody for questioning for attacking Hindu mathematics lecturer Ripon Chakrabarti and grievously injuring him in Bangladesh's Madaripur. Eyewitnesses managed to catch him and hand him to the police. As per the police, Fahim was a college student and was a member of the banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir -- an international group which wants to combine all Muslim countries in a unitary Islamic state. The group is outlawed in several countries, including Bangladesh. Seven suspected Islamist militants have now been shot dead since Bangladesh launched a nationwide crackdown on local jihadist groups in the wake of a spike in the murders of secular activists and religious minorities. The drive has seen more than 11,000 people including 194 militants arrested over the past week despite widespread criticism by local and international human rights groups. Nearly 50 people have been killed over the last three years in a wave of gruesome murders targeting Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims, secular activists and foreigners, with most blamed on or claimed by Islamist militants. Many of the victims were hacked to death with machetes. (WION)

Bangladesh bloggers' murder:?Main suspect?dead in gunfight with police

Two men linked to a jihadist who killed a French police officer and his partner were charged and detained by an anti-terror court on Saturday. 
 
Saad Rajraji, 27, and Charaf-Din Aberouz, 29, were charged with having links to a terrorist group, but were not found to have any connection to the IS-inspired murder of the police couple carried out by Larossi Abballa last Monday. 
 
The two men had been convicted along with Abballa in September 2013 as part of a network to send jihadists to Pakistan, judicial sources close to the investigation said. 
 
A third man arrested in the case was released without charge. 
 
Abballa, a convicted radical who had been under surveillance, murdered the police officer and his partner outside their home and then was killed himself in a police raid. 
 
Before he was killed, Abballa posted a live Facebook video of himself in which he admitted the murders and urged fellow jihadists to carry out more bloodshed. 
 
Monday`s assault in a small town northwest of Paris was the first deadly strike in France since the coordinated attacks in the capital by an Islamic State cell in November, which killed 130 people. 
(AFP)

The men were charged with having links to a terrorist group, but they had no connection to the murder of the French couple

Two men linked to a jihadist who killed a French police officer and his partner were charged and detained by an anti-terror court on Saturday. Saad Rajraji, 27, and Charaf-Din Aberouz, 29, were charged with having links to a terrorist group, but were not found to have any connection to the IS-inspired murder of the police couple carried out by Larossi Abballa last Monday. The two men had been convicted along with Abballa in September 2013 as part of a network to send jihadists to Pakistan, judicial sources close to the investigation said. A third man arrested in the case was released without charge. Abballa, a convicted radical who had been under surveillance, murdered the police officer and his partner outside their home and then was killed himself in a police raid. Before he was killed, Abballa posted a live Facebook video of himself in which he admitted the murders and urged fellow jihadists to carry out more bloodshed. Monday`s assault in a small town northwest of Paris was the first deadly strike in France since the coordinated attacks in the capital by an Islamic State cell in November, which killed 130 people. (AFP)

2 linked to French police killer charged

Niger vowed to avenge the deaths of 24 of its soldiers who were killed by Boko Haram insurgents in one of the jihadist group`s deadliest attacks in the country. 
 
&quot;We must continue to fight, this insult must be expunged, there is nothing to be done, it must be avenged,&quot; Defence Minister Hassoumi Massoudou said Sunday. 
 
The minister was speaking to troops at a garrison at Bosso, near the Nigerian border where the deadly attack took place on Friday, according to a broadcast on state television on Monday. 
 
The bradcast said the minister visited military positions in Bosso accompanied by army chiefs and Nigerian General Lamidi Adeosun, head of the multinational force that groups soldiers from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad to fight Boko Haram. 
The minister also toured the town to view to scale of the damage caused by the Islamic insurgents, the television said. 
 
It showed images of a burnt-out military transport vehicle and a town seemingly devoid of its 20,000 residents and Nigerian refugees. 
 
&quot;It`s terrible, all of Niger is crying,&quot; said Massoudou, adding that he felt &quot;deeply wounded&quot; after visiting the site of the bloodshed. 
The attack &quot;will unfortunately be engraved on the history of our people.&quot; 
 
He urged the troops to keep their &quot;morale high&quot; as &quot;we will win this war.&quot; 
 
Twenty-four Nigerien and two Nigerian soldiers were killed in the attack by hundreds of Boko Haram assailants on a military post in Bosso, the government said in a statement Monday.&nbsp; 
 
The defence ministry earlier said that a total of 32 soldiers had been killed.&nbsp; 
 
Some 67 soldiers were injured, according to the updated statement, while 55 Boko Haram fighters were killed and &quot;many&quot; injured. &quot;On the enemy`s side, several dead and injured were taken away,&quot; the ministry said. 
 
Local resident and former MP Elhaj Aboubacar said: &quot;They drove up at twilight, shouting Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest), they fired a lot of shots and torched many places in Bosso.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We don`t know where our military went, but one thing is for sure, Boko Haram were able to do what they liked until dawn,&quot; Aboubacar said. 
 
It was one of the deadliest attacks by Boko Haram in Niger since the Islamist group began launching raids in the country in February 2015 from its stronghold in neighbouring Nigeria. 
 
Boko Haram`s seven-year insurgency has devastated infrastructure in Nigeria`s impoverished northeast and forced around 2.1 million people in Nigeria to flee their homes, according to the UN`s refugee agency. 
 
The unrest has left at least 20,000 people dead in Nigeria and made more than 2.6 million homeless. 
 
Since Friday`s attacks, thousands of residents have fled Bosso to &quot;more secure areas&quot;, a UN source said. 
 
Water, food, shelter and medical aid remain &quot;the most urgent needs&quot;, the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in Niamey. 
 
It said humanitarian aid missions to Bosso were suspended for security reasons. 
The attack comes as the multinational force prepares to launch a &quot;decisive&quot; offensive against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.

Niger vowed to avenge the deaths of 24 of its soldiers who were killed by Boko Haram insurgents in one of the jihadist group`s deadliest attacks in the country

Niger vowed to avenge the deaths of 24 of its soldiers who were killed by Boko Haram insurgents in one of the jihadist group`s deadliest attacks in the country. "We must continue to fight, this insult must be expunged, there is nothing to be done, it must be avenged," Defence Minister Hassoumi Massoudou said Sunday. The minister was speaking to troops at a garrison at Bosso, near the Nigerian border where the deadly attack took place on Friday, according to a broadcast on state television on Monday. The bradcast said the minister visited military positions in Bosso accompanied by army chiefs and Nigerian General Lamidi Adeosun, head of the multinational force that groups soldiers from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad to fight Boko Haram. The minister also toured the town to view to scale of the damage caused by the Islamic insurgents, the television said. It showed images of a burnt-out military transport vehicle and a town seemingly devoid of its 20,000 residents and Nigerian refugees. "It`s terrible, all of Niger is crying," said Massoudou, adding that he felt "deeply wounded" after visiting the site of the bloodshed. The attack "will unfortunately be engraved on the history of our people." He urged the troops to keep their "morale high" as "we will win this war." Twenty-four Nigerien and two Nigerian soldiers were killed in the attack by hundreds of Boko Haram assailants on a military post in Bosso, the government said in a statement Monday. The defence ministry earlier said that a total of 32 soldiers had been killed. Some 67 soldiers were injured, according to the updated statement, while 55 Boko Haram fighters were killed and "many" injured. "On the enemy`s side, several dead and injured were taken away," the ministry said. Local resident and former MP Elhaj Aboubacar said: "They drove up at twilight, shouting Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest), they fired a lot of shots and torched many places in Bosso." "We don`t know where our military went, but one thing is for sure, Boko Haram were able to do what they liked until dawn," Aboubacar said. It was one of the deadliest attacks by Boko Haram in Niger since the Islamist group began launching raids in the country in February 2015 from its stronghold in neighbouring Nigeria. Boko Haram`s seven-year insurgency has devastated infrastructure in Nigeria`s impoverished northeast and forced around 2.1 million people in Nigeria to flee their homes, according to the UN`s refugee agency. The unrest has left at least 20,000 people dead in Nigeria and made more than 2.6 million homeless. Since Friday`s attacks, thousands of residents have fled Bosso to "more secure areas", a UN source said. Water, food, shelter and medical aid remain "the most urgent needs", the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in Niamey. It said humanitarian aid missions to Bosso were suspended for security reasons. The attack comes as the multinational force prepares to launch a "decisive" offensive against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.

Niger vows to avenge deadly raid by Boko Haram

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