Tag: IS

Jordanian Pilot Burned Alive By IS Soldiers

A 2-minute video released Tuesday by the Islamic State shows the execution of captured Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh as he is burned alive in a cage.

The brutal video is both one of its most violent and most slickly produced. Filled with wire-frame drawings and digitized cuts that dissolve its subjects in a flicker of pixels, the video uses Kasasbeh to attack the U.S.-led military campaign against the Islamic State.

Prior to his execution in the video, Kasasbeh delivers a ringing condemnation of the West and his country, urging the mothers of Jordanian pilots from preventing their sons from going to war against the Islamic State.

With a black eye clearly visible on the left side of his face, Kasasbeh explains in detail the military coalition arrayed against the Islamic State and the contributions made by each country in the fight, placing special emphasis on the contributions of Arab states. Kasasbeh also details the bases out of which missions against the Islamic State are flown.

“The message that I direct to the Jordanian people: Know that your government is an agent of the Zionists,” Kasasbeh says in the video.

Kasasbeh was captured in December when his jet was downed over Syria.

The video was released by al-Furqan, the media arm of the Islamic State, and according to Jordanian state television, the execution was filmed on Jan. 3. The video’s release coincided with the Tuesday visit to Washington by Jordan King Abdullah, who abruptly canceled that trip and returned to his country.

President Barack Obama called the video “one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity of this organization” and said it will serve to “redouble the vigilance and determination on the part of the global coalition to make sure that they are degraded and ultimately defeated.”

Bernadette Meehan, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in a statement that the U.S. intelligence community is working to authenticate the video.

In recent weeks, the Jordanian government has been engaged in highly public negotiations with the Islamic State, which proposed to swap Kenji Goto, a kidnapped journalist, for Sajida al-Rishawi, who is imprisoned in Jordan for her involvement in a 2005 terrorist attack in Amman.

Last week, the Jordanian government agreed in principle to a swap but demanded their pilot’s release if Rishawi was to walk free. Those negotiations fell apart when the Islamic State refused to provide proof of life for Kasasbeh. It is now clear, according to Jordanian state television, that Kasasbeh had already been killed — even as negotiations were ongoing.

The video presents his execution as retaliation for civilian casualties inflicted by the U.S.-led air campaign in Syria. It opens with a narrator describing Jordan’s role in that coalition and its willingness as a U.S. ally to support military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After describing how the United States and its allies coordinate their aerial missions in Syria, the video cuts to a shot of a wire-frame drawing of an F-16, the plane Kasasbeh once flew, moving through a dark space filled with images of destruction, including a burning bus, a demolished building. The plane’s targeting reticule centers on a crying infant wearing an oxygen mask on what appears to be a hospital bed.

The video then shows an image of an AGM-65 laser-guided bomb, a widely used American-made munition. It cuts to a series of images showing children suffering various degrees of burn wounds. With each image, the wounds get progressively more severe. At the bottom of the screen a temperature steadily increases toward “max.”

The video then cuts to a scene of Kasasbeh walking through an area strewn with rubble. In a series of jump cuts, the video flashes to news footage of bodies being dug out of rubble. The implication is that Kasasbeh is being confronted with his crimes. He is shown on camera looking at a destroyed building with an expression of horror. All around him, masked fighters view him impassively.

He is then placed in a cage and burned to death.

Source: https://foreignpolicy.com

February 4, 2015
Islamic State Terrorists Ransack Library In Mosul Iraq

BAGHDAD — When Islamic State group militants invaded the Central Library of Mosul earlier this month, they were on a mission to destroy a familiar enemy: other people’s ideas.

Residents say the extremists smashed the locks that had protected the biggest repository of learning in the northern Iraq town, and loaded around 2,000 books — including children’s stories, poetry, philosophy and tomes on sports, health, culture and science — into six pickup trucks. They left only Islamic texts.

The rest?

“These books promote infidelity and call for disobeying Allah. So they will be burned,” a bearded militant in traditional Afghani two-piece clothing told residents, according to one man living nearby who spoke to The Associated Press. The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared retaliation, said the Islamic State group official made his impromptu address as others stuffed books into empty flour bags.

Since the Islamic State group seized a third of Iraq and neighbouring Syria, they have sought to purge society of everything that doesn’t conform to their violent interpretation of Islam. They already have destroyed many archaeological relics, deeming them pagan, and even Islamic sites considered idolatrous. Increasingly books are in the firing line.

Mosul, the biggest city in the Islamic State group’s self-declared caliphate, boasts a relatively educated, diverse population that seeks to preserve its heritage sites and libraries. In the chaos that followed the US-led invasion of 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein, residents near the Central Library hid some of its centuries-old manuscripts in their own homes to prevent their theft or destruction by looters.

But this time, the Islamic State group has made the penalty for such actions death. Presumed destroyed are the Central Library’s collection of Iraqi newspapers dating to the early 20th century, maps and books from the Ottoman Empire and book collections contributed by around 100 of Mosul’s establishment families.

Days after the Central Library’s ransacking, militants broke into University of Mosul’s library. They made a bonfire out of hundreds of books on science and culture, destroying them in front of students.

A University of Mosul history professor, who spoke on condition he not be named because of his fear of the Islamic State group, said the extremists started wrecking the collections of other public libraries last month. He reported particularly heavy damage to the archives of a Sunni Muslim library, the library of the 265-year-old Latin Church and Monastery of the Dominican Fathers and the Mosul Museum Library with works dating back to 5000 BC.

Citing reports by the locals who live near these libraries, the professor added that the militants used to come during the night and carry the materials in refrigerated trucks with Syria-registered license plates. The fate of these old materials is still unknown.

The professor said Islamic State group militants appeared determined to “change the face of this city…by erasing its iconic buildings and history”.

Since routing government forces and seizing Mosul last summer, the Islamic State group has destroyed dozens of historic sites, including the centuries-old Islamic mosque shrines of the prophets Seth, Jirjis and Jonah.

An Iraqi lawmaker, Hakim al-Zamili, said the Islamic State group “considers culture, civilization and science as their fierce enemies”.

Al-Zamili, who leads the parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, compared the Islamic State group to raiding medieval Mongols, who in 1258 ransacked Baghdad. Libraries’ ancient collections of works on history, medicine and astronomy were dumped into the Tigris River, purportedly turning the waters black from running ink.

“The only difference is that the Mongols threw the books in the Tigris River, while now Daesh is burning them,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. “Different method, but same mentality”.

Source: www.todayonline.com

February 2, 2015
Islamic State Claims Second Japanese Hostage Beheaded

The Islamic State group claimed in a video that it has beheaded a second Japanese hostage, drawing international condemnation and outrage from a visibly upset Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who denounced it as a “heinous and despicable” act.

The apparent killing of 47-year-old Kenji Goto — the second beheading of a Japanese hostage in a week — was announced in a video released online that included no mention of a Jordanian pilot also being held by IS, whom the jihadist group has threatened to kill.

Goto, a respected freelance journalist, is seen in an orange outfit — similar to those worn by Guantanamo Bay inmates — kneeling next to a standing masked man who speaks with a British accent and blames the Japanese government for his “slaughter”.

The man, dressed head-to-toe in black with his face covered, appears to be the same IS militant who has featured in the group’s previous execution videos.

The executioner addresses Abe, saying the murder was the result of “reckless” decisions by the Japanese government and would mark the beginning of “the nightmare for Japan”.

The brief video ends with the image of a body dressed in orange with a decapitated head on top of it.

Abe vowed to “never forgive terrorists” after news of the video broke early Sunday morning in Japan.

“I am extremely angry about these heinous and despicable terrorist acts. We will never forgive terrorists,” the premier, who appeared on the verge of tears, told reporters.

“We will cooperate with the international community to make them atone for their crimes.”

Goto’s distraught mother said she “can’t find the words” to describe her son’s death.

“I can’t find the words to describe how I feel about my son’s very sad death,” a sobbing Junko Ishido told reporters.

Goto’s brother Junichi Goto said he had been holding out hope, “But that’s not possible anymore,” he was quoted as saying by public broadcaster NHK.

US President Barack Obama led international condemnation of the “heinous murder”.

“Through his reporting, Mr Goto courageously sought to convey the plight of the Syrian people to the outside world,” Obama said.

A spokesman for UN chief Ban Ki-moon also condemned the “barbaric murder”, and said the death “underscores the violence that so many have been subjected to in Iraq and Syria”.

– Negotiations ‘deadlocked’ –

Tokyo and Washington said they were working to confirm the video’s authenticity.

“After an extensive review, we believe it’s highly probable” it is real, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said in response to a reporter’s question.

British Prime Minister David Cameron denounced the apparent killing as “a further reminder that ISIL (IS) is the embodiment of evil, with no regard for human life.”

French President Francois Hollande also condemned the “brutal murder”.

The apparent execution came after Japan said negotiations to win Goto’s release in a prisoner exchange had stalled.

IS had vowed to kill Goto and Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh by sunset Thursday unless Amman handed over an Iraqi female jihadist.

On Saturday morning Abe had renewed orders for officials to maintain close cooperation with Jordan in a bid to secure Goto’s release.

“The government has been working with the utmost efforts on the issue — I deeply regret that this is the result,” Abe told reporters on Sunday.

But “Japan will never yield to terrorism… (and) is firmly resolved to fulfil its responsibility in the international community’s fight against terrorism”.

Last week IS claimed responsibility for the beheading of another Japanese man it had been holding, self-described contractor Haruna Yukawa, after the expiration of a 72-hour deadline during which the jihadists had asked Tokyo to pay a $200 million (175 million euro) ransom.

Jordan has demanded evidence that its pilot, who crashed in Syria on December 24, was still alive before freeing would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, who is on death row

The latest video made no mention of Kassasbeh’s fate.

– ‘Proof of life’ –

Jordan has offered to free Rishawi, who was convicted for her part in triple-hotel bombings in Amman in 2005 that killed 60 people, if IS releases the pilot.

The government has been under heavy pressure at home and from Japan — a major aid donor — to save Kassasbeh as well as Goto.

On Thursday, government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said Rishawi was still in Jordan and would only be released if IS gave it “proof of life”.

IS had set the Thursday sunset deadline for Rishawi to be released at the Turkish border in return for Goto but there was no news of a swap by nightfall.

Friday morning Jordan’s military said it was still awaiting proof that Kassasbeh was safe.

The pilot’s father Safi Kassasbeh begged Amman to save his son’s life “at any price”.

“We believe in God and we will accept whatever he has in store for us,” he said.

Goto’s wife Rinko also broke her silence this week to plead for her husband’s return.

“My husband is a good and honest man who went to Syria to show the plight of those who suffer,” she said.

“I beg the Jordanian and Japanese governments to understand that the fates of both men are in their hands.”

IS has imposed a brutal version of Islamic law in territory it controls in Syria and Iraq and has executed since August two US journalists, an American aid worker and two British aid workers.

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

February 2, 2015
Teo Chee Hean: No Indication Of Heightened Threat To Singapore From ISIS

There is no indication of a heightened threat to Singapore specific to the Republic’s support to the coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), said Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean in Parliament on Wednesday (Jan 29).

However, the violence in Syria and Iraq continues and raises the overall threat level in every country, as ISIS still attracts extremists and encourages its overseas supporters to carry out attacks on home soil, using all means available, Mr Teo said.

He was responding to a question posed by MP Alex Yam Ziming on whether there were heightened threat to Singapore, and whether additional measures are required to address issues of self-radicalisation.

ADDRESSING IDEOLOGY

On the second question, Mr Teo said self-radicalisation is a problem as it can lead to “lone-wolf” attacks.

“We have had instances of Singaporeans becoming self-radicalised even before the Syrian conflict. ISIS has, however, worsened the threat through its widespread and effective use of social media to radicalise and recruit foreign fighters and supporters,” he said.

There is growing international recognition of the need to “deal upstream with the ideology that fuels jihadist terrorism”, said Mr Teo, who added Singapore will be hosting the East Asia Summit Symposium on Religious Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration in April this year.

“The Symposium will share best practices among participating countries and build capability to counter the terrorists’ radical ideology,” he said.

Source: www.channnelnewsasia.com

January 30, 2015
Japan PM Speechless After IS Released Video Indicating One Japanese Hostage Killed

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s prime minister said Sunday he was “speechless” after an online video purportedly showed that one of two Japanese hostages of the extremist Islamic State group had been killed, and he demanded the release of the other.

Shinzo Abe told Japanese broadcaster NHK that the video was likely authentic, though he said the government is still reviewing it. Abe offered condolences to the family and friends of Haruna Yukawa, a 42-year-old adventurer taken hostage in Syria last year.

He declined to comment on the message in the latest video, which demanded a prisoner exchange for the other hostage, journalist Kenji Goto. He said only that the government was still working on the situation, and reiterated that Japan condemns terrorism.

“I am left speechless,” he said, stressing he wants Goto released unharmed. “We strongly and totally criticize such acts.”

Yukawa’s father, Shoichi, said he hoped “deep in his heart” that the news of his son’s killing was not true.

“If I am ever reunited with him, I just want to give him a big hug,” he told a small group of journalists invited into his house.

President Barack Obama condemned what he called “the brutal murder” of Yukawa, saying in a statement that the United States stands by Japan and calling for Goto’s release.

The Associated Press could not verify the contents of the message, which varied greatly from previous videos released by the Islamic State group, which now holds a third of both Syria and Iraq.

The Islamic State group had threatened on Tuesday to behead the men within 72 hours unless it received a $200 million ransom. Kyodo News agency reported that Saturday’s video was emailed to Goto’s wife.

Patrick Ventrell, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said U.S. intelligence officials were also working to confirm whether it was authentic.

Abe said after a Cabinet meeting late Saturday that the government of Japan will not succumb to terrorism and will continue to cooperate with the international community in the fight against terrorism.

Japanese diplomats left Syria as the civil war there escalated, compounding the difficulty of reaching the militants holding the hostages.

Abe spoke by phone with Jordanian King Abdullah II on Saturday, the state-run Petra news agency reported, without elaborating on what they discussed. He also called the two hostages’ families.

Goto’s mother, Junko Ishido, told NHK that in the purported message her son “seemed to be taking seriously what may be happening to him as well.”

“I’m petrified,” Ishido said. “He has children. I’m praying he will return soon, and that’s all I want.”

But Ishido also was skeptical about the voice claiming to be Goto. “Kenji’s English is very good. He should sound more fluent,” she said.

Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the audio was still being studied, but there was no reason to deny the authenticity of the video.

One militant on the Islamic State-affiliated website warned that Saturday’s new message was fake, while another said that the message was intended only to go to the Japanese journalist’s family.

A third militant on the website noted that the video was not issued by al-Furqan, which is one of the media arms of the Islamic State group and has issued past videos involving hostages and beheadings. Saturday’s message did not bear al-Furqan’s logo.

The militants on the website post comments using pseudonyms, so their identities could not be independently confirmed by the AP. However, their confusion over the video matched that of Japanese officials and outside observers.

Japanese officials have not directly said whether they are considering paying any ransom. Japan has joined other major industrial nations in opposing ransom payments. U.S. and British officials said they advised against paying.

Nobuo Kimoto, a business adviser to Yukawa, told NHK: “I was hoping he would be released, or at least that his life would not be taken.”

“I wish this was some kind of a mistake,” he said.

Yukawa was captured last summer, and Goto is thought to have been seized in late October after going to Syria to try to rescue him.

___

Associated Press writers Maamoun Youssef in Cairo, Mari Yamaguchi, Ken Moritsugu, Kaori Hitomi and Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo, and White House Correspondent Julie Pace at Ramstein Air Base, Germany contributed to this report.

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/

January 26, 2015