The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ISIS

  • U.S strike kills 36 ISIS militants in Afghanistan

    A United States military strike with a weapon known as the “Mother Of All Bombs” (MOAB) killed 36 Islamic State militants and destroyed their base, the Afghan defence ministry has said.

    The most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever used by the U.S in combat was dropped on an ISIS complex in Nangarhar province, the BBC reports.

    No civilians were affected by the explosion, the ministry said.

    Former Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, condemned the attack as “an inhuman and most brutal misuse of our country.”

    Chief Executive of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah, confirmed that the attack had been carried out in co-ordination with the government and that “great care had been taken to avoid civilian harm.”

    The Afghan defence ministry said the bomb struck a village area in the Momand valley where ISIS fighters were using a 300m-long network of caves.

    It said the 21,600lb (9,800kg) bomb also destroyed a large stash of weapons.

    Presidential spokesman, Shah Hussain Murtazawi told the BBC that ISIS commander, Siddiq Yar, was among those killed.

    Mr. Murtazawi said the ISIS fighters in the tunnels had “come from Pakistan and were persecuting people in the local area.”

  • Coalition to ISIS: Surrender or be killed

    Coalition to ISIS: Surrender or be killed

    The Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve said that terrorists of Islamic State around Raqqa, Syria and Mosul, Iraq should either surrender or be killed.

    Spokesman of the coalition, Col. John Dorrian, said on Wednesday that the coalition was closing in on ISIS,

    Dorrian said this in a statement by the U.S. Department of Defense.

    “Iraqi forces control both main routes west of Mosul, limiting ISIS fighters’ freedom of movement. ISIS has been encircled for ‘quite some time’.

    “The Iraqi counterterrorism service and federal police are pressing more deeply into the dense, urban terrain along the Euphrates River and the old part of the city.

    “While elements of the Iraqi army continue clearing territory to the north and west of the city centre; there is only a ‘shrinking cordon’ in Mosul where ISIS can operate.

    “This enemy in Mosul is not going anywhere; they’re not going to be able to leave to the west; they are cut off.

    “They have really two choices: they can surrender to the Iraqi security forces, or they’re going to be killed,” he said.

    Dorrian said U.S., coalition and partner forces were edging towards victory in the campaign to defeat ISIS.

    “In Iraq, Iraqi forces are making incremental progress on the west side of Mosul, in large part because of the need to protect against civilian casualties.

    “The enemy has intensified their exploitation of civilians by moving them in large numbers into harm’s way,” he said.

    According to him, since the effort to take Mosul back from ISIS began on Feb.19, Iraqi forces supported by coalition airstrikes had cleared nearly 200 square miles of territory.

    He noted that there had already been some positive results for the people of Iraq as the fight against ISIS continued.

    “One of the things it’s very important to understand is that millions of people have been able to return to their homes because of the rollback of ISIS territorial gains.

    “And a lot of the reason for that is the coalition airstrikes that have supported our partners as they’ve taken that territory back,” he said.

    According to him, while progress continues, it has still a slow and tough fight because of the efforts of the coalition to avoid civilian casualties.

    He described ISIS use of civilians as human shields as “a despicable tactic, and unfortunate, and heartbreaking” adding “but it is something that we’re seeing”.

    “In reality, it’s very, very slow and very, very hard, and it’s gut-busting, difficult fighting between our forces and theirs. But our forces and the Iraqi security forces continue to make progress.

    “It’s very slow, it’s very tough. One of the reasons for that is because we want to do it in a manner that protects civilian life.

    “Prime Minister Haider Abadi’s been very clear on that, and it’s been an enduring principle of the campaign throughout” he said.

  • Govt warns against ISIS’ new recruitment strategy

    Govt warns against ISIS’ new recruitment strategy

    The Federal Government yesterday urged parents and guardians to monitor their children and wards to prevent them from joining the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

    It said that ISIS and other terror organisations target vulnerable individuals, including foreign students, using financial inducements to recruit them as members.

    Information, Culture & Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed, in a statement, cited the recent recruitment into ISIS of 27 medical students of the University of Medical Sciences and Technology (UMST) in Sudan as an example of the new strategy being used by the organisation to recruit more members.

    Quoting a report received by the Nigerian Intelligence Community, the minister said 22 of the 27 students, who travelled to Syria to join ISIS, are Britons.

    He said: “According to the report, the students were recruited by one Mohammed Fakhri Al-khabbas, a former UMST student from Middlesborough, United Kingdom (UK). Many of the students are children of reputable doctors in the UK. Their Social Media accounts also revealed them as praising Jihadists and championing ISIS’ cause.”

    Mohammed therefore appealed to Nigerians, especially those who have children and wards in foreign academic institutions, to pay more attention to their activities, while urging schools across the country to enlighten their students on the new ISIS’ recruitment strategy.

  • ‘Nigeria spent $2.6bn on Boko Haram humanitarian crisis in 2016’

    Nigeria spent more than $2.6 billion  in 2016 to address the humanitarian challenges caused by Boko Haram terrorists, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, has said.

    The Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olonisakin stated this at the meeting of the ‘Global Coalition Working to Defeat ISIS’ in Washington, D.C.

    “After  over 2.6 billion dollars was spent by the Nigerian Government to address humanitarian needs in 2016 – more needs were seen when areas were recovered from Boko Haram.

    “Many in this room joined us in Oslo, Norway just last February to show support with Nigeria.

    “Coalition is fundamental. We, therefore, commend Secretary Rex Tillerson and President Donald Trump for remaining committed to fighting the global enemy of us all – terrorism,” Olonisakin said.

    The defence chief explained that Iraq’s story in the war against ISIS was similar to Nigeria’s story in the fight against Boko Haram.

    “This meeting, therefore, will further strengthen our collective resolve and determination to destroy and defeat ISIS.

    “To this end, Nigeria is prepared to work with the coalition in the pursuit of the first lines of efforts towards the realisation of the aims of the global coalition,” he said.

    He commended the steady progress made in Iraq, and Syria in denying ISIS access to territories and closing up their supply routes.

    According to him, it is, therefore, imperative that as part of the objectives of the meeting, global leaders consider the value of timely sharing of information and best practices on addressing cross-border threats.

    He also emphasised the need for mobilisation of resources for partners in the conflict and confronting violent extremist organizations with the digital battle space or cyberspace.

    He added that reshaping the public narratives around ISIS to one of failure, was also critical in the battle to defeat ISIS.

    “Let me also add that this meeting is of great importance to Nigeria.

    “This is because, Nigeria’s effort to defeat the Boko Haram terrorists is viewed as part of wider efforts to combat violent extremism globally especially, the defeat of ISIS.

    “Nigeria is open and willing to adopt strategies from the coalition that could further enhance its success story,” Olonisakin said.

    U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in his welcome remarks, said “it is indeed encouraging to see the attendance”.

    “When the forces of ISIS tune into their TVs and their computer monitors, they will see the strength of a combined 68 nations and organisations.

    “Together, we share a resolve to deal ISIS a lasting defeat. Our coalition is united in stopping ISIS resurgence, halting its global ambitions and discrediting its ideological narrative.

    “And we’re ready to grow stronger and stay aggressive in this battle.

    “President Trump, in his recent address to the joint session of Congress, made clear that it is the policy of the United States to demolish and destroy this barbaric terrorist organisation”.

    NAN reports that the meeting was attended by Ministers of Foreign Affairs and senior leaders of the 68 countries of the global coalition working to defeat ISIS.

    NAN also reports that among those who attended the meeting were Chargé d’affaires of the Nigeria Embassy in Washington, Hakeem Balogun and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

     

  • Turkish troops killed in Syrian air strike

    Three Turkish soldiers have been killed and 10 others wounded in a Syrian government air strike in the northern part of the country, the Turkish military said.

    The attack occurred at about 03:30 (00:30 GMT) on Thursday, during an operation by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels against Islamic State militants, the BBC reports.

    It would be the first time Turkish soldiers have been killed by Syrian government forces in the offensive.

    There was no immediate comment from the Syrian military.

    It has previously denounced Turkey’s support for the rebels with hundreds of troops, warplanes, tanks and artillery as a “flagrant violation of Syrian sovereignty.”

    The rebel offensive, dubbed Operation Euphrates Shield, was launched three months ago with the aim of pushing IS militants away from the Turkish border.

    The Turkish government also wants to contain United States-backed Syrian Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia, which it says is an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey.

  • Germany arrests three ‘on IS mission’

    Three Syrian men have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of being sent by so-called Islamic State (IS) to launch attacks.

    The men – aged between 17 and 26 – were detained after a series of pre-dawn raids in the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony on Tuesday, the BBC reports.

    Later, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told journalists the suspects may have had links to the men who attacked Paris in November last year.

    He called the three a sleeper cell.

    The Federal Public Prosecutor’s office has said no concrete missions or orders have so far been found, despite the seizure of “extensive material.”

    The men – identified only as Mahir al-H, 17, Ibrahim M, 18, and Mohamed A, 26 – are said to have travelled through Turkey and Greece on false passports.

    Investigators believe they had volunteered for the alleged mission, and that the 17-year-old had been trained in handling weapons and explosives in Raqqa, IS’s stronghold in Syria.

    They received fake passports, mobile phones loaded with a pre-installed communication programme and four-figure cash sums in United States dollars.

    The men were arrested when 200 police and security officers raided six locations, including three refugee shelters.

  • 40 killed in Syria bombings

    At least 40 people have been killed in bombings in mainly government-held areas of Syria.

    Four attacks took place within an hour in Tartous, Homs and in a suburb of Damascus, with one in Hassakeh, which is dominated by Kurdish forces, the BBC reports.

    The deadliest incident was outside Tartous, home to a Russian naval base and in the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect.

    The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attacks.

    The group made the claim in a statement carried by its affiliated news agency, Amaq.

    The attacks took place between 08:00 and 09:00 (05:00-06:00 GMT) on Monday.

    Syria’s official Sana news agency reported that 30 civilians had been killed and 45 others injured in the Tartous countryside.

    First, a car bomb was detonated on the Arzoneh motorway bridge, a local police source told Sana.

    Then, as a crowd gathered at the scene to help the wounded, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt, the source added.

  • ISIS names Al-Barnawi Boko Haram leader

    ISIS names Al-Barnawi Boko Haram leader

    The Islamic State (IS) militant group has announced Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new Boko Haram leader.

    Al-Barnawi, who was the spokesman for the Nigerian-based Islamists, is featured in the latest issue of an IS magazine.

    The Arabic-language newspaper al-Nabaa yesterday identified Al-Barnawi as the new “Wali,” a title previously used to describe long-time leader Abubakar Shekau

    It does not say what has become of the group’s former leader, Shekau.

    He was last heard from in an audio message last August, saying he was alive and had not been replaced – an IS video released in April said the same.

    Al-Barnawi has promised not to attack mosques in a change of tactic under his leadership.

    Boko Haram has lost most of the territory it controlled 18 months ago.

    Its seven-year insurgency has left 20,000 people dead, mainly in the Northeast.

    In the interview in IS’s weekly Arabic magazine al-Naba, Al Barnawi said his group “remained a force to be reckoned with,” and said it was drawing new recruits.

    He described the group’s battle as a war by Muslims against “apostates” and “crusaders”.

    Analyst Jacob Zenn said the announcement indicates a coup by Boko Haram breakaway group, Ansaru, and follows a trend of extremist Islamic groups moving away from al-Qaida to the Islamic State.

    Ansaru is known for kidnapping foreigners. It broke away from Boko Haram because it disagrees with the indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially Muslims.

    Who is Abu Musab al-Barnawi?

    • Little is known about Abu Mus’ab al-Barnawi, who appeared in a Boko Haram video in January 2015 as the group’s spokesman
    • He wore a turban and his face was blurred out and it was filmed as a sit-down studio interview
    • Unlike Abubakar Shekau, his delivery in the Hausa language was considered and softly spoken
    • Mr Shekau was often filmed in the open, surrounded by fighters, loudly proclaiming his threats, victories and giving rambling ideological lectures
    • However, Mr Barnawi pulled no punches, warning that towns, which resisted Boko Haram in its mission to create an Islamic state, would be flattened
    • He also spoke of being against democracy and foreign education
    • In his most recent magazine interview, he again objected to the name Boko Haram, by which local people call the group, as it means “Western education is forbidden” in Hausa
    • He maintained IS was still strong in the region and promised to continue fighting West African governments.

     

  • ISIS militants kill French priest

    A priest has been killed in an attack by two armed men on his church in a suburb of Rouen in northern France.

    The attackers entered the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray during Mass, taking the priest, Fr Jacques Hamel, 84, and four other people hostage, the BBC reports.

    Police later surrounded the church and French TV said shots were fired. Both hostage-takers are now dead.

    The Amaq news agency, linked to so-called Islamic State, said “two IS soldiers” had carried out the attack.

    President Francois Hollande said the men had claimed to be from IS.

    Speaking in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, he said the attackers had committed a “cowardly assassination” and France would fight IS “by all means.”

    Pope Francis decried the “pain and horror of this absurd violence.”

    French interior ministry spokesman, Pierre-Henri Brandet, said one of the hostages had been critically wounded.

    He said the hostage-takers had been “neutralised” after coming out of the church. French prosecutors say one person has since been detained over the attack.

  • Fed Govt alerts Nigerians to ISIS app to woo children

    Fed Govt alerts Nigerians to ISIS app to woo children

    The Federal Government has alerted Nigerians of the latest antics of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

    According to a statement by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, ISIS has a newly-launched mobile application developed for propagating Jihad to children.

    The statement which was signed by Mr. Segun Adeyemi, Special Assistant to the minister, stated that the said mobile application, tagged: ‘Huroof’ (Arabic alphabets or letters), is to be used by ISIS to teach children the Arabic alphabets with the aid of guns, military tanks and cannons.

    ‘’The application utilizes colourful illustrations that attract and engage the attention of young children,’’ the minister said, urging members of the public in general and parents in particular to be vigilant and to prevent their children and wards from being indoctrinated.