Tag: IS

Leader Of The Islamic State Wounded In US-led Air Strike

The leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was “critically wounded” when a U.S.-led air strike targeted the western Iraqi border town of al-Qaim, tribal sources told Al Arabiya News Channel on Saturday.

U.S. Central Command confirmed in a statement that U.S.-led air strikes targeted ISIS leaders near their northern Iraqi hub of Mosul late Friday, without confirming whether Baghdadi was killed, AFP reported.

“This strike demonstrates the pressure we continue to place on the ISIL [ISIS] terrorist network and the group’s increasingly limited freedom to maneuver, communicate and command,” U.S. Central Command said.

Anbar province MP Mohammad al-Karbuli told Al Arabiya News Channel that coalition aircraft had targeted a gathering of ISIS leaders in al-Qaim that led to the killing of tens of people and wounded many more.

Karbuli said chaos ensued the air raid with ISIS members scrambling to transport their wounded to al-Qaim hospital which was overwhelmed with the number of patients.

Reuters news agency quoted two witnesses as saying an air strike targeted a house where senior ISIS officers were meeting, near al-Qaim.

The witnesses said ISIS fighters had cleared a hospital so that their wounded could be treated. ISIS fighters used loudspeakers to urge residents to donate blood, the witnesses said.

The agency also quoted residents as saying there were unconfirmed reports that ISIS’ local leader in the western Iraqi province of Anbar and his deputy were killed.

Source: http://english.alarabiya.net

November 10, 2014
The Islamic State Ultimatum

You get three choices, pay the Islamic State tax, convert or die.

Then the first choice is taken off the table. That makes it quite simple. Convert or die.

On my first day here in Jordan I came face to face with Iraqi Christians who had less than an hour to flee the advancing Islamic State. Standing in the bustling refugee processing centre in Amman, an Iraqi family tell me their story.

It was June in Mosul and many thought the Peshmerga forces would stop the murderous militants from swamping their city. They were wrong.

Time was short, hundreds of Christian families grabbed a few belongings and jumped in their cars heading East towards Irbil. But swathes of people with the same idea meant a 1.5 hour drive turned into a 20 hour journey from hell.

They made it, and thanks to Peshmerga forces Irbil provided a safe haven for a few months. But the escalating violence has destroyed any hope these Iraqis had of a future in their home country.

In the last two weeks over 800 Iraqis have arrived in Jordan seeking resettlement, according the UNHCR. They are now living on church floors amongst the Amman and Zarqa Christian communities.

While the Iraqi families consider their resettlement options, Jordan is being faced with it’s own Islamic State ultimatum. The rise of the brutal jihadis has forced countries like Jordan to choose between security and humanity.

As we walk through hundreds of refugees at the UNHCR’s Amman processing centre, the organisation’s head Andrew Harper tells me that fear of Islamic State militants crossing the border has been a game changer here in Jordan and other neighbouring countries.

“The humanitarian focus has now been surpassed by the security focus,” Andrew Harper goes on to explain that in the last month very few refugees have been allowed to cross the Syrian border in Jordan. October was the lowest intake in two years.

That’s created a nightmare situation where vulnerable Syrian refugees fleeing the Islamic State are starting to pile up at the border.

Andrew Harper tells me there are 5000 asylum seekers piled up at Jordan’s eastern border crossing with Syria.

“Anyone who is stuck at a border and is not allowed in is a massive concern because it’s my job to make sure that people fleeing violence have access to safety.”

It’s obviously a tricky balance. While Jordan has been incredibly generous in accepting over 600,000 refugees they are now part of the US led coalition at war with the Islamic State.

If security concerns means thousands of refugees stuck at the border become sitting ducks for Islamic State militants it will take this three year long catastrophe to another level.

Source: www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack

November 5, 2014
Singapore To Contribute Personnel and Equipment to Multinational Coalition Against IS

SINGAPORE – Singapore will play its part in the multinational coalition battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) by contributing personnel and equipment, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in Parliament on Monday.

This is part and parcel of Singapore’s ongoing efforts to combat terrorism, Dr Ng said, as he outlined how Singapore fought against the terrorist threat from Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.

It did so by strengthening its social, psychological and physical defenses at home, and joining other countries to deal with the sources of radicalisation and terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“As a result, both Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah are weaker today. However, this terorrism threat is a long-term one, and new groups like ISIS will emerge even as existing ones falter. When they do, we must not lose focus or heart in dealing with the threat from ISIS. We must continue with the approach that has served Singapore well and protected us thus far,” he said.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

November 3, 2014
Indonesia’s Chief of Defence Force Calls for Greater Regional Cooperation Against IS

Indonesia’s chief of defence forces General Moeldoko has called for greater regional cooperation in the global fight against the Islamic State (IS) threat.

He spoke in Singapore on Wednesday (Oct 29), at a lecture organised by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. These were his first public comments in Singapore since the appointment of Indonesia’s new President, Joko Widodo.

In a lecture titled TNI Future Challenges and Opportunities, the General sketched out the broad challenges for the Indonesian armed forces and the importance of regional cooperation. A key focus was the IS threat and the danger it may pose in the future to this part of the world.

“There have been several people from countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia who have gone to Syria and Iraq to join IS. We need to find a common understanding among the ASEAN Chief of Defence Forces, to anticipate the future risk, when these fighters return to their home countries. We need to think of concrete steps to deal with this threat,” he said.

The General said it is hard to predict the strategy of IS militants and this is why it is critical for regional forces to come together, consider future scenarios and come up with action plans.

To this end, he said he intends to propose a meeting of regional defence chiefs to discuss the IS threat, at the ASEAN Chief of Defence Forces informal meeting to be held in Malaysia next year. Indonesia hosted a similar meeting earlier this year for military and peacekeeping personnel from 33 countries, at its Peace and Security Centre in Sentul, West Java.

General Moeldoko emphasised in his lecture that the IS ideology does not represent Islam: “I am a Muslim and I can tell you that IS does not represent the Islam that I know. There will be no chance for IS to spread in Indonesia.”

He also touched on President Widodo’s vision of making Indonesia a global maritime axis. He said Indonesia plays an important role in maritime security and stressed the need to enhance regional cooperation, to protect the lucrative trade route along the Straits of Malacca.

The lecture was followed by a 30-minute closed-door question-and-answer session involving more than 100 people. Issues raised included Indonesia’s relations with a rising China, as well as territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the impact on regional security.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore

October 30, 2014
Penang-born Husband Took Singaporean Wife and Two Children to Syria, Join ISIS

A 37-year-old Penang-born man has brought his Singaporean family to Syria where they are believed to be in different locations fighting alongside jihadists or supporting them.

His Singaporean wife was a 47-year-old widow who had a daughter and a son – aged 18 and 14 – from a previous marriage, The Star newspaper reported on Friday.

The report quoted sources as saying the family went to Syria in November, but did not stay together.

“The authorities believe the man joined the Jabhat Al-Nusra group and his stepson the IS (Islamic State),” the sources told the newspaper. IS is also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“The wife worked as a cook while the daughter taught English to the children of the fighters in Syria,” one source was quoted as saying.

The family members are believed to be in different parts of Syria, according to the newspaper. One possible location is east Hama, where jihadists are known to have set up a base of operations.

Authorities are keeping close tab on the family and trying to find out how they were influenced to go to Syria, said the report. The sources said the authorities believe their decision had to do with the woman’s former husband.

In July, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean disclosed in parliament that several Singaporeans are among 12,000 foreigners taking part in the armed conflict in Syria, including a couple of parents who had taken along their children

Among the “handful” of Singaporeans is said to be a woman who went with her foreign husband and their two teenage children.

“The whole family is taking part in the conflict in various ways, either joining the terrorist groups to fight, or providing aid and support to the fighters,” said Mr Teo, who is also Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister.

Another man, Haja Fakkurudeen Usman Ali, 37, took with him his wife and three children between the ages of two and 11. He is a Singapore citizen who was an Indian national, the Home Affairs Ministry had said in March when announcing that he was under investigation.

Several other Singaporeans had planned to join the conflict but were detained before they could set off, and some others were under investigation, said Mr Teo.

The Star newspaper had earlier reported that five former Internal Security Act detainees are among 40 Malaysians who have joined the militants.

The five named include 45-year-old former Kedah PAS Youth information chief Mohd Lotfi Ariffin, who was injured in an attack which killed the youngest Malaysian jihadist in Syria on Tuesday. Mohammad Fadhlan Shahidi Mohammad Khir, 21, from Kedah was the second Malaysian jihadist to be killed in Syria.

The first Malaysian militant to die in Syria was Abu Turob, 52, who was killed during an attack by tanks and snipers on Aug 19.

In Putrajaya, Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called on Malaysians to reject extremist views and protect the country’s image. He said the actions of a few individuals did not reflect the true nature of the country and its people.

“We don’t want Malaysia to be presumed internationally as a breeding ground for terrorists (and) we must protect the image of our religion and country based on the principle of moderation or wasatiyyah.

“This principle has to be defended by all citizens. We have to avoid being extreme left or extreme right.”

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/malaysian-man-took-singaporean-family-join-syria-jihadists-report-20

September 12, 2014