Tag: ISIS

Austrian Teenage Girl Who Joined ISIS ‘Killed in Syria’

One of two young Austrian women who travelled to Syria to fight with Islamic extremists has reportedly been killed just months after arriving in the country.

Sabina Selimovic, 15, and Samra Kesinovic, 16, both the daughters of immigrant families from Bosnia, left their homes in Vienna in April with the apparent intention of fighting for Syrian rebels.

They are thought to have travelled to Turkey and then to have crossed the border into Syria, having become radicalised after attending a local mosque in Vienna and reading about jihad on the internet.

They posted on social media photographs of themselves handling assault weapons and wearing black, full length burkas.

But Austrian authorities now think one of them – they have so far refused to divulge which one – may have been killed during fighting.

“The parents of the girl concerned have been informed that there is a risk that their daughter is dead,” said Konrad Kogler, the director-general of public security for Austrian police.

Alexander Marakovits, a spokesman for the Austrian interior ministry, told The Salzburger News: “We also have this information, but cannot say with absolute certainty that it is true. But the parents have been informed their daughter could be dead.”

Austrian authorities fear that the two teenagers’ example is inspiring other young, radicalised Muslim women to travel to Syria and volunteer to fight.

In Germany, meanwhile, an alleged jihadist went on trial on Monday, accused of fighting in Syria for Isil.

In the first German criminal proceedings involving Isil, Kreshnik Berisha, a 20-year-old born near Frankfurt to a family from Kosovo, has been charged with membership of a foreign terrorist organisation.

He could face 10 years in prison if convicted by the city’s superior regional court.

Berisha is believed to have become radicalised when he fell in with a group of Muslim fundamentalists while on a job training programme.

Federal prosecutors say Berisha travelled to Syria via Turkey in July 2013 with other Islamists planning to join the fight to create an Islamist “caliphate” straddling Syria and Iraq.

Soon after his arrival, Berisha allegedly underwent firearms training and was put to work as a medic and a guard.

In the six months he spent in Syria, he is believed to have fought in at least three battles on the side of the jihadists against President Bashar al-Assad’s troops.

He returned home for reasons that are unclear to German authorities in Dec 2013 and was arrested at Frankfurt airport.

Authorities estimate around 400 German nationals have travelled to Iraq and Syria to battle for the militants.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/austria/11098039/Austrian-teenage-girl-jihadist-killed-in-Syria.html

September 16, 2014
Another Malaysian ISIS Member Died in Syria After Ambush by Syrian Forces

Former Kedah PAS Youth information chief Lotfi Ariffin reportedly died today in Syria after succumbing to his injuries, according to a Malaysian fighting in the Middle East.

The news of Lotfi’s death was posted on the Facebook account of Abu Talhah II, one of the 40-odd Malaysians fighting alongside Islamic State of Iraq and Syria forces.

Facebook users posted condolences in the comment section upon reading of the death of Lotfi, who had been injured after an ambush by Syrian forces.

Lotfi had reportedly been with a group of Malaysian Isis fighters when they were caught in an ambush by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

During the fight, Lotfi suffered severe injuries and fell into a coma, although his condition was later reported to be stable.

His older brother, Mohd Zainon Ariffin, 53, had confirmed Lotfi’s condition last week, saying he had been informed that his sibling appeared to be recovering.

Zainon said he had been informed of Lotfi’s condition by his brother’s friends through Facebook although no images had been uploaded.

Lotfi courted controversy in June when he disclosed his involvement in the ongoing civil war in Syria.

This resulted in his sacking from PAS as the Islamist party said it did not condone nor encourage its members to participate in armed movements.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ex-pas-member-lotfi-ariffin-killed-in-syria#sthash.6H0DwhoW.dpuf

September 16, 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
Another Muslim fighter From Kedah Killed in Syria

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — A Muslim fighter from Kedah known as “Abu Muhajir” became the latest Malaysian jihadist fighter to purportedly be killed in strife-torn Syria, after an alleged ambush in which several others were critically wounded.

“Abu Muhajir” was believed to be 21-year old Mohamad Fadlan Shah from Kulim, according to Facebook updates from fellow jihadists there and a report by Malay daily Utusan Malaysia.

“This morning on September 9, the jihadist team from Malaysia was ambushed causing the martyrdom of Abu Muhajir,” said a fighter known as “Abu Talhah” on Facebook.

The status update also claimed that former Kedah PAS member Mohd Lotfi Ariffin, who was sacked from the party for his jihadist activities, was badly injured and remained unconscious.

Meanwhile, another fighter known as “Abu Afghan” was wounded in both legs, he said.

The photos and video of “Abu Muhajir’s” burial have been shared by hundreds of supporters on social media and blogs. Some congratulated him on his “successful transaction”.

“Transaction” is an euphemism that refers to a verse in Quran detailing a “contract”, un which Muslims are offered a place in Paradise in return for fighting and dying in the cause of Allah.

“Praise be to God, my friend Abu Muhajir has succeeded in his dream to hunt for martyrdom,” said a Facebook update by fellow jihadist Akel Zainal, formerly famous for being the drummer in 90s rock band Ukays.

“Here’s hoping your transaction is received by Allah, hope you will be happy in the afterlife,” he added.

A report by Utusan today said that the jihadists were caught in an attack by a fighter jet allegedly from the army of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The report also claimed that five Malaysians were injured in the attack, including Mohd Lotfi and “Abu Afghan”.

Last month, a 52-year-old jihadist fighter, known as Mat Soh or by his nom de guerre “Abu Turab”, allegedly died from shelling in strife-torn Syria while defending the town of Arzeh with several other jihadist fighters.

According to Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin, assistant director-general of the Malaysian police counter-terrorism division, Mat Soh is believed to be Zainan Harith, who was detained for a robbery in Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya in June 15, 2001.

Malaysian factory worker Ahmad Tarmimi Maliki, suspected of being a member of militant group Islamic State (IS), was believed to have been the suicide bomber who killed 25 members of an Iraqi police team in May.

In Malaysia, police intelligence warned last month that Malaysians who joined the Islamist militant group Islamic State (IS) to launch strikes in Iraq and Syria, are now training their sights on their home government and several other targets in the country.

The police said 19 suspected local militants have been arrested between April and June this year while they were on their way to Turkey and Syria for training and support from IS under the guise of “humanitarian work”.

The group was planning to establish a hardline Southeast Asian Islamic caliphate which would include Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore.

Putrajaya has designated the IS, formerly known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as a terrorist group.

Source: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/another-malaysian-jihadist-allegedly-killed-in-syrian-ambush#sthash.vXkha089.dpuf

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September 11, 2014
Photos of First ‘Chinese ISIS Militant’ Emerge Online

Another picture released by the Iraqi military shows the “Chinese daash” unconcious on the floor.(Iraqi Ministry of Defence)

IRAQ’S Ministry of Defence has claimed to have captured a Chinese national fighting for the extremist Sunni militant group, Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and posted two photos of an East Asian-looking man with a battered face on its Facebook page.

A short message accompanying the photos that were put up on Monday called the man a “Chinese daash” – daash being an acronym for ISIS.

If the indentity of the man and the authenticity of the images are validated, this could be the first confirmed case of a Chinese ISIS fighter, the South China Morning Post reported.

Mr Wu Sike, China’s special envoy to the Middle East, has previously said that an estimated 100 Chinese citizens – mostly Muslim Uighurs from China’s remote western region of Xinjiang – may be fighting for ISIS.

The Chinese embassy in Iraq declined to comment on the photos, while the Iraqi government and Chinese foreign ministry have not responded to interview requests from the Post.

Earlier, the US State Department said some 12,000 foreign jihadists from 50 countries have gone to fight in Syria since the conflict began more than three years ago.

In Austria, the authorities said they suspect about 130 residents – most of them foreign nationals – have allied themselves with Islamist militants fighting abroad.

In Asia, Singapore said in July it is aware of two Singaporeans fighting in Syria with their families.

Malaysia has held 19 ISIS-inspired militants who allegedly planned to bomb pubs, discos and a Malaysian brewery of beer producer Carlsberg. They wanted to establish a hardline Islamic caliphate spanning Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore, said police.

Three Malaysian women had also reportedly travelled to the Middle East in a so-called “sexual jihad” to act as “comfort women” for ISIS fighters.

Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, estimates that 60 of its citizens have joined the fighting.

As many as 150 Australians are also said to be fighting alongside ISIS overseas, including at least one Sydney man and his young son who have posed for photos with a severed head.

ISIS has carried out beheadings, crucifixions and public stonings in areas under its control in Iraq and neighbouring north-eastern Syria, where it has declared an Islamic “caliphate”.

Videos that have emerged since August 19 showing the militants beheading American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff have enraged world leaders, with US President Barack Obama vowing to “degrade and destroy” the group.

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/world/middle-east/story/iraq-claims-have-caught-chinese-isis-jihadist-releases-photos-battered

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September 4, 2014