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Tag: Iraq

  • Soldier And Firefighter Among Latest Malaysian IS Recruits

    Soldier And Firefighter Among Latest Malaysian IS Recruits

    KUALA LUMPUR: A SOLDIER and a firefighter are among the latest Malaysian recruits to join the Islamic State (IS) movement in Syria.

    Sources revealed that the soldier, who was supposed to attend an 11-month course at the Sungai Besi Army Music Training Centre from April 7, had gone missing on Oct 14.

    Investigations showed that the soldier had applied for an international passport on July 31 at Terengganu Immigration Department before leaving the country on Oct 25 via Bangkok on a 6.05am flight.

    The 27-year-old corporal attached to the 7th battalion Royal Malay Regiment had allegedly taken a flight from Kota Baru, Kelantan, to Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 the day before.

    The New Straits Times learnt that the corporal, who goes by the name Al-Azhar Malize, is with other Malaysians who have established themselves as senior IS fighters.

    What made him stand out among other Malaysians fighting in Syria is that he is always seen in pictures on Syrian battlefields clad in Malaysian military fatigues.

    Investigations also revealed that his brother, a soldier at the Seberang Takir, Terengganu camp, received a WhatsApp message from him saying he had left to join IS in Syria.

    Sources told the NST that ongoing probes were centred on how he was recruited and who his contacts were.

    “The military’s Defence Staff Intelligence Division is monitoring the status of the corporal and identifying parties who are bent on recruiting more fighters, including military personnel, to join IS,” the sources said.

    Sources said they were establishing the background of the fireman said to be posted at the Shah Alam fire station.

    Meanwhile, the NST was made aware of a Malaysian family of six, including two toddlers, that had made its way to Syria recently.

    “Like other families that have left their home countries in pursuit of martyrdom in Syria, the man will be sent out to the battlefields. The woman will be given specific tasks, and the children will be taken care of,” the sources said.

     

    Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

  • Troubling Trend Of Civil Servants Supporting IS’ Cause In Malaysia

    Troubling Trend Of Civil Servants Supporting IS’ Cause In Malaysia

    PETALING JAYA, Dec 3 — Two more civil servants who were channeling funds to the Islamic State (IS) have been arrested as police express worry over militant sympathisers in the civil service.

    Police are working to establish the extent of IS influence among civil servants as so far six government officers had joined, planned or had sent money to the extremist outfit which controls chunks of territories in both Iraq and Syria.

    A police source said in six months, four civil servants were arrested in the Klang Valley and Kedah, and there is a possibility of others in the service being involved.

    “We are now investigating the extent of involvement of civil servants in IS activities in the country and abroad,” the source said.

    “There is a possibility those detained had influenced others, including their colleagues, to join their cause and this is a worrying trend.”

    Investigators are establishing if these suspects had recruited others from their departments.

    The source said intelligence and operations personnel are working to determine the seriousness of the matter.

    The latest arrest came when the Bukit Aman’s Counter-Terrorism Unit conducted an operation in Kuala Lumpur and Kedah on Nov 27 and 28.

    Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said police picked up three men in separate locations.

    “Two of them, aged 23 and 28, work at a government agency in Kuala Lumpur. They are suspected to have channeled funds to new recruits who are planning to travel to Syria to fight alongside IS.”

    Investigations revealed the third suspect, aged 36, joined IS last year and had spent four months in Syria before returning to Malaysia on April 8.

    He said the trio were being detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma).

    In October, police made a major breakthrough following the arrest of three men who played a key role in the recruitment of more than 20 Malaysians.

    One of the recruiters was an assistant director attached to the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry.

    The 37-year-old civil servant was responsible for recruiting and making travel arrangements for those wanting to go to Syria. He was also the contact person for Malaysian fighters in Syria.

    The other recruiter fought alongside rebels in Syria last December and returned to Malaysia in April while the third was an expert in recruiting people via Facebook.

    The three recruiters are believed to have been trained by Dr Mahmud Ahmad, 36, an Islamic studies lecturer with Universiti Malaya.

    The trio’s arrest led to the arrest of 11 other supporters from various backgrounds — a 14-year-old student, a housewife, a graphic designer, a university student, factory workers and odd-job workers.

    Police had then expressed shock that the suspects came from all walks of life, suggesting that the recruitment drive was intense. Police said the recruiters would scout for targets via Facebook and brainwash them to fight coalition forces in Iraq and Syria.

    Once coaxed, the recruits would meet a 34-year-old suspect who fought in Syria.

    The trio also had connections with 36-year-old stationery shop operator Mohd Najib Hussein and Muhammad Joraimee Awang Raimee, 39, who was attached to the Selayang Municipal Council.

    Mahmud, Najib and Joraimee were previously IS recruiters but later fled the country and joined Abu Sayyaf in Southern Philippines.

     

    Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

  • Wife And Suspected Son Of IS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Detained

    Wife And Suspected Son Of IS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Detained

    BEIRUT — Lebanese authorities detained a wife and suspected son of the leader of the Islamic State group several days ago, and she is being questioned, two senior Lebanese officials said today (Dec 2).

    A military official said the woman and child were detained about 10 days ago while carrying fake identification cards.

    Both officials refused to give further details about the woman who is believed to be one of the wives of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group’s reclusive leader. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

    The military official said the woman is a Syrian citizen and is being questioned by authorities.

    The announcement of the arrest comes amid attempts to reach a prisoner-exchange deal between Lebanese authorities and the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s Syria branch, who have been holding more than 20 Lebanese soldiers and policemen hostage since August.

    They have demanded the release of Islamist prisoners being held by Lebanese authorities.

    Last night, the Nusra Front threatened to kill one of the soldiers it is holding captive.

    The wife’s arrest could be used as a bargaining chip for Lebanese authorities in their attempts to win the freedom of the troops.

    A judicial official said the interrogation is being supervised by Lebanon’s military prosecutor, Mr Saqr Saqr. He added that a DNA test is underway to confirm that the child is the son of the detained woman.

    The Lebanese daily As-Safir was the first to break the news, saying they were detained near a border crossing point with Syria. It added that the arrest was made in “coordination with foreign intelligence agencies”.

    Very little is known about al-Baghdadi’s personal life, including how many wives and children he has. Conservative interpretations of Islam allow for a man to marry up to four wives.

    Al-Baghdadi’s first wife is believed to be Iraqi citizen Saja al-Dulaimi, who was reportedly held by Syrian authorities and freed in a prisoner exchange with the Nusra Front earlier this year.

    In March, the Nusra Front freed more than a dozen Greek Orthodox nuns, ending their four-month captivity in exchange for Syrian authorities releasing dozens of female prisoners. AP

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • United Nations Suspends Distribution Of World Food Program Vouchers In Embattled Middle East Countries Due To Lack Of Funds

    United Nations Suspends Distribution Of World Food Program Vouchers In Embattled Middle East Countries Due To Lack Of Funds

    A lack of funds has forced the United Nations to stop providing food vouchers for 1.7 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday.

    “Without WFP vouchers, many families will go hungry. For refugees already struggling to survive the harsh winter, the consequences of halting this assistance will be devastating,” said the U.N. agency, which needs $64 million to support the refugees for the rest of December.

    Suspension of the assistance program comes as many vulnerable Syrian families enter their fourth bleak winter in difficult living conditions after fleeing a homeland racked by conflict since March 2011.

    “This couldn’t come at a worse time,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres in a statement.

    The impact could be particularly devastating in Lebanon, where more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees — one-quarter of the country’s permanent population — are scattered across some 1,700 communities, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Many live in makeshift settlements, sheds, garages and unfinished buildings.

    The electronic voucher program has already injected about $800 million into local shops in the countries hosting refugees, and WFP will immediately resume it if new funding arrives, it said in the statement.

    It was not clear how hungry Syrian refugees might fill the gap left by WFP suspending its voucher program.

    WFP had warned last month that it might be forced to impose such a suspension and said it might have to announce a similar measure in January for people reliant on aid within Syria, where at least 7.6 million people are internally displaced.

    The Rome-based agency has already cut rations for 4.25 million people it is providing food supplies to in Syria.

    “WFP will not be able to continue its life-saving operations inside Syria in February without additional funding,” WFP spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told Reuters on Monday.

    The U.N. refugee agency has said that a lack of cash has forced it to prioritize as it helps those in need prepare for winter, with preference for people at higher, colder altitudes and vulnerable refugees such as newborn babies. REUTERS

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • 60 Of Estimated 550 Germans in Syria and Iraq Are Believed To Have Died

    60 Of Estimated 550 Germans in Syria and Iraq Are Believed To Have Died

    BERLIN – The number of Germans fighting alongside Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq has increased sharply to 550 and around 180 have returned, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday.

    “We are concerned about the high number of departures. Especially in the last six weeks, it has risen further,” Hans-Georg Maassen told Welt am Sonntag.

    By now we are counting 550 people, that is how many have left Germany to go to Syria and Iraq,” he added. The previous number was 450 people.

    Around 60 of them have been killed during fighting, with at least nine killing themselves in suicide attacks, Maassen said. “That is a sad success for the Islamist propaganda.”

    As with other Western European countries, Germany is struggling to stop the radicalization of young Muslims, some of whom want to become jihadists in Syria or Iraq. Officials also worry that they might return to plot attacks on home soil.

    Since Germany is part of the alliance fighting Islamic State, the country is “naturally” a target for the militants as well as al Qaeda members, Maassen said.

    Intelligence services estimate that around 180 jihadists have returned to Germany after having fought in Syria and Iraq, Maassen said.

    In one of the largest sweeps against alleged Islamists in Germany yet, authorities last week arrested nine men suspected of supporting militant groups in Syria and raided numerous properties in several German states.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com