Tag: ISIL

IS Posts Video Of Little Children From Southeast Asia Undergoing Military Training

In its latest effort to reach out to supporters in South-east Asia, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has posted photos and a video of Malay-speaking children training with weapons.

The footage depicts a group of at least 20 boys studying, praying, eating and undergoing defence and weapons lessons in territory held by the terrorist group.

It comes amid warnings by experts that ISIS is beefing up its external operations wing and courting further support in the region.

“There has been a surge in Indonesian- and Malay-language material posted by ISIS online,” Mr Jasminder Singh, a research analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told The Straits Times.

“There have been previous videos featuring Arab and Central Asian children, and it is clear they are now reaching out to target supporters in South-east Asia.”

Titled Education In The Caliphate, the video was posted over the weekend by the Malay- language media division of ISIS, as a teaser for a longer piece to be posted later.

Also uploaded are “exclusive” photos of students at the Abdullah Azzam academy, which uses Malay as a medium of instruction and was set up for the children of South-east Asian fighters.

Abdullah Azzam was a radical ideologue who mentored Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Analysts say the school indicates that ISIS’ Malay Archipelago Unit, set up last year and called Katibah Nusantara, has grown. The decision to say the school teaches in Bahasa Melayu, rather than Bahasa Indonesia, suggests a defiance of the boundaries of the nation state.

The video is also the first to show children from this region being trained for active combat. An estimated 500 fighters from the region, including southern Thailand, have joined ISIS.

“They want to seek financial support, and to attract Indonesians and Malaysians to migrate to the caliphate,” said analyst Robi Sugara of research outfit Barometer Institute.

The video comes as Turkey said last week it had detained 16 Indonesians trying to cross into Syria, and two weeks after Malaysian police identified two Malaysians in a beheading video.

This month, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament that returning fighters posed a danger to the region, and self-radicalised individuals may also be influenced by ISIS to carry out attacks in their home countries.

The two-minute video features Indonesian Katibah member Bahrumsyah, who left for Syria last May. Its message is that these children will “finish all oppressors, disbelievers, apostates”, and ends with a child firing a revolver.

Mr Abdul Halim Kader of Muslim group Taman Bacaan said there is a fear that some young people might be influenced by such videos, and educators had to do more to counter their message.

Said Mr Singh: “The message they aim to send is, ‘These children will be the next generation of fighters. You can capture us, kill us, we will regenerate, no matter how hard you try.’ ”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

March 17, 2015
Civil Servant And Women Recruiter Among Those Arrested In Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: A civil servant said to be one of the most senior Islamic State (IS) members in Malaysia and a 29-year-old housewife who recruited a 14-year-old girl into the militant movement are among three people detained by Bukit Aman.

The 39-year-old civil servant was arrested in Kuala Lumpur on Monday while the housewife was picked up in Muar on Saturday.

The third suspect – a 22-year-old trader – was also arrested in Perak on Monday.

The three were detained by the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division in separate operations.

“The housewife is believed to have influenced and recruited the girl via Facebook and other media. Police are investigating whether she was also targeting other girls for IS,” a source said.

“The trader is suspected of funding the girl’s trip to Cairo and may have allocated funds for her expenses,” added the source.

The civil servant is believed to have used his position to recruit members to ensure the local militant network ran smoothly.

“He is a senior IS member with direct links to Malaysians in Syria,” said one of the sources.

Another source said the civil servant was also responsible for creating Facebook pages and other communication means for the local militant network.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said all three suspects had planned to head to Syria “in the near future”.

Vowing that Bukit Aman would never let Malaysia become a hotbed for militants, he pledged to use all resources to hunt them down.

Two weeks ago, the 14-year-old girl was detained as she was about to board a plane bound for Cairo.

The girl had intended to marry a 22-year-old Malaysian student in Cairo before making her way to Syria to join the IS.

In Britain, The Telegraph reported that Scotland Yard was trying to track down three teenage girls who were suspected of travelling to Syria to join the IS.

The report stated that the Metropolitan Police were extremely concerned about the girls from east London who were believed to have attempted to travel to Syria via Turkey.

Source: www.thestar.com.my

March 4, 2015
IS Is A Result Of The Atrocities Of Israelis And The Failure Of Muslim Governments

The emergence of militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) is caused by Israeli atrocities which oppress Muslims and the Muslim governments’ inability to solve their problems, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

During an interview with Sky News presenter Adam Boulton early this morning, the former prime minister said the evolution of terrorist groups such as Isis was due to their frustration over the state government’s failure to defend Muslims.

“From what they see, the governments of Muslim countries have not been able to do anything about their problems, particularly over Israel, for example.

“So, people tend to take law in their own hands,” he said.

Dr Mahathir, an outspoken critic of the Zionist state, added that it did not mean he supported Isis.

He acknowledged that the group’s violent reactions were caused by the cruelty shown by the Israeli regime itself.

“No, it is not justifiable at all. It is all about frustration that is resulting in violence,” he said when asked whether it was fair for Isis to be set up because of the Israeli establishment.

Dr Mahathir described the struggles of Isis as not in accordance with Islamic teachings but rather due to mere dissatisfaction, especially in the face of powerful countries.

“I know it is very unfortunate. But it is not the teaching of Islam. It is the expression of their frustration over something that they find themselves unable to resolve, because they are up against a powerful nation,” he said.

Dr Mahathir (pic, left) said Muslims around the world feel they were oppressed and under attack.

“But the main thing is, there is this feeling that Muslims generally are being oppressed, their countries are being invaded, and thousands of their people have been bombed and killed. So how do they react to this?” he added.

Isis was formed in 2013 in Iraq.

Its members comprise thousands of local and foreign jihadists and former military men who served under the reign of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

Media reports say Malaysians have also joined their struggle and some were killed during the battles in both Syria and Iraq.

Malaysian authorities are actively keeping an eye on the activities of those who visited the Arab countries to join Isis.

Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com

February 21, 2015
British Police Appeal For Info On 3 Schoolgirls Believed To Be Travelling To Syria

LONDON – British police launched an appeal on Friday to trace three London schoolgirls who are believed to be making their way to Syria, having flown to Turkey earlier this week.

The three friends, two aged 15 and one 16, left their east London homes on Tuesday and traveled to Gatwick airport where they caught a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul without telling their families.

Police said they were working with Turkish authorities to try to find the girls and bring them home.

“We still think there’s a possibility they’re in Turkey and that’s why we’re having the appeal,” Richard Walton from London police’s counter terrorism command told reporters on Friday.

Turkish Airlines declined to say whether the girls had traveled on one of its flights. A spokesman for the airline said in an emailed statement that apart from checking visas the company was not responsible for dealing with pre-flight security issues.

The three girls, two of whom were named as British nationals Shamima Begum and Kadiza Sultana, were pupils at the Bethnal Green Academy.

They are friends with a fourth teenage girl from the same school who police believe is already in Syria, having traveled to Turkey in December.

Their families were surprised and devastated by the disappearance of the girls, Walton said.

Security forces estimate some 600 British Muslims have traveled to Syria to join the conflict there, some of them with the militant Sunni Islamist group Islamic State.

Around half have since returned, and dozens have been arrested in Britain under anti-terrorism legislation.

Source: www.todayonline.com

February 21, 2015
IS Militants In Libya Burn Musical Instruments Seized From Public

The Islamic State (Isis) propaganda machine has published photos of its militants in Libya burning musical instruments they said were confiscated in line with the radical group’s interpretation of Sharia law.

Black-clad gunmen are seen setting fire to a pile of drums, brass and woodwind instruments at a countryside location and then watching the fire burning in images posted online by an Isis media branch.

An accompanying message claimed the instrument-burning took place in eastern Libya, possibly near the city of Derna.

Under the jihadi group’s rules, instrumental music is banned as well as what it claims are other un-Islamic activities such as smoking and drinking alcohol.

In September, it was reported that Isis had imposed a new school curriculum in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, banning art and music as well as all classes on history, literature and Christianity.

Libya has been embroiled in fighting since the overthrow of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Battling for control of the country currently involves pro-government forces, Libya Dawn, an umbrella group including radical and moderate Islamists, and Isis local offshoots that recently infiltrated several coastal cities.

The group’s expansion into the Mediterranean country has sparked international alarm.

Libya’s Foreign Minister Mohammed al Dairi has called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council to lift an arms embargo and allow his government to fight back at Isis.

Neighbouring Egypt has been conducting airstrikes against jihadist positions this week, after a gruesome online video depicting Isis militants beheading 21 Coptic Christians on a beach near Tripoli was posted online.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk

February 20, 2015