The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Islamic State

  • Pentagon: Islamic State could resurface in Syria within 6 months

    U.S. President Donald Trump has declared his intention to wind down his country’s 2,000 troops in Syria, but a report issued on Monday warned the extremist group could then make a comeback within six to 12 months.

    The report by the Inspector-General of the Department of Defence warned that Islamic State continues to attract dozens of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq each month, and maintains a flow of external donations.

    Islamic State is “regenerating key functions and capabilities more quickly in Iraq than in Syria.”

    In both Syria and Iraq, local forces remain heavily reliant on support from the U.S.-led coalition, the report said.

    Read also: 2019: Lalong sues for peaceful, issues-based campaign

    While singling out the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as “tenacious fighters,’’ the Inspector-General noted the threat of a Turkish invasion against these U.S.-backed forces, as Ankara views them to be linked to Turkish separatists.

    The SDF’s war against Islamic State in Syria continues.
    Islamic State maintains some 2,000 fighters in eastern Syria where it has established strong defensive positions and will likely fight on until the last man.

    “Challenges to completely defeating ISIS in Iraq include the group’s rural strength, its tunnels and safe houses, the continued trickle of foreign fighters, the difficulty in securing the Iraq-Syria border, and the lack of stability in Sunni areas,” the report said.

    The report noted, positively that this year’s Shiite pilgrimages were conducted without major terrorist attacks by Islamic State – an extremist Sunni group. (dpa/NAN)

  • 2019: ISIS/B’Haram planning to disrupt Nigeria’s elections – US

    The United States of America has warned its citizens in Nigeria of a plan by Islamic State and Boko Haram insurgent groups to disrupt the forthcoming 2019 general elections by carrying out attacks.

    The US gave the warning in a statement published on its website on the 18th of January 2019, said the insurgent groups plans to attack public places and government infrastructures.

    According to the alert, the embassy said it did not have information on whether such attacks were targeted at its embassy or not, but U.S. citizens in Nigeria should remember to follow personal security precautions on a regular basis.

    “There is an increase in ISIS propaganda videos specifically directed to Nigeria and the ongoing civil unrest in Borno state and the Northeast” the statement reads.

    “ISIS West Africa (ISWA) and Boko Haram have both stated they plan to disrupt the upcoming 2019 presidential elections by conducting attacks on Nigerian Security and infrastructure, as well as places of gathering such as markets, hotels, and malls”.

    “While we have no specific threat information to the U.S. Embassy or within Nigeria during the election season, U.S. citizens in Nigeria should remember to follow personal security precautions on a regular basis”.

    It also said US citizens should avoid crowds and demonstrations, keep a low profile and to stay alert in public places, including schools, hospitals, government facilities, places of worship, tourist locations, and transportation hubs.

    The embassy further urged its citizens to carry proper identification, including a US passport with a current Nigerian visa, if needed and to exercise caution when walking or driving at night.

    The 2019 general elections involves the Presidential and National Assembly, which will take place on the 16th of February, and the Governorship and State Assemblies polls to be held in the 2nd of March.

  • Report: Islamic State sneaks jihadists into Nigeria

    In what has been described as a “terror exchange programme”,  Commmanders  of the Islamic State (IS) have been sneaking jihadists into Nigeria from Syria to train them for possible attacks, according to a report by The Sun of London.

    The report said insiders feared that strong links and regular flights between Lagos and London could “export evil and terror to British streets despite our counter-terror efforts” in Nigeria.

    The strong links between Nigeria and the UK, it is believed, would  ”make it easier for IS to send its killers to attack the UK and bring more death and destruction.”

    The report quoted a senior Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Commander Group Captain Isaac Subi, as saying:

    “They come and train their fighters here and some of our insurgents too are granted access to their training in Yemen and Syria, acquiring those skills and they come back and teach others.

    “They have this exchange programme of fighters.

    ”There are hundreds of fighters. It’s a virus that spreads across our borders. Their action leaves trails of blood and tears and sorrow.”

    Group Captain Subi, 46, who has been fighting terrorism in Africa since 1999, reportedy made the comment  at one training mission in Kaduna, where British forces have been training Nigerian troops.

    There are 150 British trops currently on counter-terror training with Nigerian forces in an attempt to stem the bloody tide and prevent IS taking hold of West Africa.

    They have so far trained 35,000 Nigerian soldiers.

    Britain’s Defence Adviser in Nigeria, Brigadier Charles Calder,said on the IS threat in Nigeria:

    “In time, unchecked, it could present a threat to both UK interests and conceivably the UK mainland.”

    He added that sending small, hand-picked teams out to military training hubs across Nigeria was the best way to prevent terrorism.

  • Security agents: Islamic State fighters in Nigeria

    Security agents: Islamic State fighters in Nigeria

    Security agencies have uncovered Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) fighters in Benue, Kogi and Edo states, it was learnt yesterday.

    A source in the Presidency said the group had been operating within some North Central and South-South states, using foreign terrorists.

    They are also believed to be recruiting young men into their fold and killing innocent people, thereby creating tension along ethnic, religious and regional fault lines.

    It was gathered that “a good number “of the Islamic State terrorists have been arrested not only in the Benue valley but significantly in many towns in Edo State, such as Akoko Edo, Okpella and Benin, the state capital. They have also been found in Okene in central Kogi State.

    The source said: “Security service organisations, including the Department of State Service, (DSS) in a report submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari, identified an Islamic State in West Africa network operating within some North Central and South-South areas”

    The source said the discovery was made following the arrest of many suspected attackers made up of Fulani herdsmen, government-sponsored militias, militants and other miscreants in Benue State.

    The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the “sensitivity” of the matter, said among those in custody were many who spoke Nigerian languages.

    “They mostly speak the French,” the source said, adding: “This is the first time that security officials have confirmed that Islamic State in West Africa members are operating as a unit in Nigeria and the level of their penetration of the country.”

    He went on: “It is understood that the cell, which has members in different parts of the country concentrates on recruiting young men to fight for the Islamic State in West Africa by unleashing the cold-blooded murder of innocent citizens.

    “There was intelligence that they had planned attacks in the country, before and during Christmas and the New Year festivities. Their bombing targets included fuel depots, foreign missions, the police and military establishments.

    “Their network is very wide. But so much was achieved by the DSS, which made a significant number of arrests in the last two months that helped to preempt those attacks. This helped to save Nigeria from the spate of major terrorist attacks witnessed elsewhere that were syndicated by ISIS worldwide.”

    The reports submitted to the Presidency, he said, also revealed that security officials now fear an influx of other ISIS members into many parts of the country.

    “We are learning more and more about this complex and sophisticated network. This is the main reason why the secret service is not parading those suspects so far arrested. It has become clear to us, by now, that the challenge facing this country is a serious one.”

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Mallam Garba Shehu confirmed that President Buhari had been receiving “report upon report on the situation in Benue and other states”.

    He said although the DSS had recorded a lot of success lately, he had not been briefed on any of the reports.

    In Benue State, no fewer than 73 persons were killed by gunmen, who were said to be herdsmen. In Taraba, 55 persons died and 200 homes were torched. Both incidents occurred early this month.

  • Turkey detains 201 IS members planning New Year attacks

    Turkey detains 201 IS members planning New Year attacks

    Turkish authorities have detained 201 suspected members of the Islamic State extremist group over the past 48 hours accused of planning attacks on New Year’s Eve celebrations.

    State-run Anadolu news agency reported that the police carried simultaneous raids in 14 separate provinces, netting 124 suspects with alleged ties to the Sunni extremist group on Thursday and another 77 on Friday.

    According to the news agency, the suspects included foreign nationals.

    Police seized documents and digital material that revealed plans for separate attacks on New Year’s Eve.

    The raids came nearly a year after an Islamic State gunman attacked the Reina nightclub in Istanbul as revellers were celebrating New Year’s Eve, killing 39 people.

    Read also: How Buhari doused tension between Nigeria, Turkey

    The Reina shooting preceded a wave of smaller attacks by Islamic State and hardliner Kurdish nationalists in Turkey in 2015 and 2016.

    The news agency reported on Wednesday, security forces in Istanbul cited security concerns in issuing a ban on New Year’s Eve celebrations in three central districts, including the iconic Taksim Square.

    Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country, set aside January 1 as a public holiday.

    Trees and ornaments appear in public displays to mark the occasion, but Islamists have pushed back against them as symbols of Christmas.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • France repatriates three children of suspected jihadists from Iraq

    France repatriates three children of suspected jihadists from Iraq

    Three French-born children belonging to suspected Islamic State ( IS ) militants and who were being held by Iraq authorities have been flown back to Paris, France Capital, a foreign ministry official said on Thursday.

    The International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC ) said it was the first such repatriation of French children from Iraq.

    It has suffered a series of deadly militant attacks over the past three years and is grappling with the threat of homegrown militancy as well as the risks posed by IS fighters slipping back across French borders.

    “Their return was organised in coordination with the authorities in Iraq,” a foreign ministry spokesman told Reuters.

    French media reported that the family had left France for Iraq in 2015.

    “The father was killed during the battle for Mosul and Iraqi forces later detained the mother and her four children in July.

    “She and her youngest child remain in detention in Iraq,’’ Vincent Brengarth said, the lawyer acting on her behalf.

    Her three older children, aged between three and eight years, were now in foster care after arriving back on December 18.

    Reuters revealed in September that Iraqi authorities were holding about 1,400 foreign wives and children of suspected IS combatants at a single camp after government forces routed the jihadist group from Mosul, its last major urban redoubt in Iraq.

    However, it was not clear if the three children had been among the same group.

    French officials have indicated a preference for their citizens held in Iraq and found to be affiliated to IS to be prosecuted there, although in mid-November President Emmanuel Macron said the fate of women and children should be examined on a case-by-case basis.

    The head of France’s domestic spy agency last month said some 700 men and women either of French nationality or who had resided in France, as well as 500 children, were in Iraq and Syria or linked to the militants.

    Meanwhile several hundred others have already slipped back into France.

    (Reuters/NAN)

  • Iranian president declares end of Islamic State

    Iranian president declares end of Islamic State

    President Hassan Rouhani of Iran on Tuesday declared the end of Islamic State in an address broadcast live on state TV.

    A senior commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Maj.-Gen. Qassem Soleimani, also declared the end of Islamic State in a message sent to the country’s supreme leader Tuesday which was published on Sepah News, the news site of the Guards.

    Videos and pictures of Soleimani, who commands the Quds Force, the branch of the Guards responsible for operations outside of Iran’s borders, at frontline positions in battles against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have been posted frequently by Iranian media in recent years.

    On Friday, Iranian media published pictures of Soleimani Kamal in eastern Syria, a town which Soleimani said Tuesday was the last territory retaken from Islamic State control in the region.

    The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s most powerful military force which also oversees an economic empire worth billions of dollars, has been fighting in support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the central government in Baghdad for several years.

    No fewer than a thousand members of the Guards, including senior commanders, have been killed in Syria and Iraq.

    Read Also: Greece arrests suspected Islamic State terrorist

     

  • Macron warns battle against IS will continue for years

    Macron warns battle against IS will continue for years

    French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday warned that as the fight against Islamic State (IS) nears its end in Iraq and Syria, it will continue for years in other parts of the world.

    “We have won in al-Raqqa against Islamic State, and I firmly believe that in the coming weeks and months we will be completely victorious in military terms in the Iraqi-Syrian theatre.

    “But this fight will not end there, above all in many places, from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf, passing through South-East Asia and the Sahelo-Saharan region.

    “There are many areas where this fight will remain for years to come,’’ Macron said, while addressing French forces at the Mina Zayed naval base in Abu Dhabi.

    In October, Syrian Kurd-led forces, supported by the international U.S.-led alliance, captured Syria’s northern city of al-Raqqa, which was once the capital of Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate in the country.

    Islamic State has lost more than 96 per cent of the territory that it once controlled in Iraq and Syria, according to the U.S-led coalition fighting the group.

    “Our challenge now is to rebuild peace once we have won the war against barbarism,’’ Macron said, who visited the permanent French base Mina Zayed as part of his two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates.

    The base, established in 2009, hosts between 300 and 900 troops, sailors and airmen depending on rotations.

    Macron said it represents a “sign of a France that keeps its commitments to its allies.’’

    Read Also: French Senate to vote on security law as Macron addresses Police

  • Iraqi troops retake Mosul government office

    Iraqi forces said they have retaken the main government offices in Mosul as the offensive continues to oust the so-called Islamic State (IS) group.

    The advance could pave the way for an attack on the heavily-populated old city, where the militants are still entrenched.

    The BBC reports that thousands of civilians are streaming out of the city every day.

    Mosul is the last stronghold for IS in Iraq.

    The east of the city was recaptured in January.

    Civilians said it was the heaviest night of bombardment since the operation to retake the city’s west began on February 19.

    The Iraqi forces launched a surprise attack overnight to storm the government buildings.

    Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, arrived in Mosul on Tuesday morning to meet military leaders.

    Sgt Azam Ibrahim of the federal police told The Associated Press news agency that his unit were among the first to storm the government office, but were then told to pull back amid fierce clashes.

  • IS militants kill six Red Cross workers in Afghanistan

    Six international Red Cross workers have been killed by suspected Islamic State (IS) gunmen in the Afghan province of Jowzjan.

    The workers were shot in the Qush Tepa area, the provincial governor said.

    Two others are unaccounted for, feared abducted by IS, he said.

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed the deaths but said it did not know who was to blame.

    The ICRC said it was putting its work in Afghanistan on temporary hold.

    “We need to understand more clearly what happened,” the BBC quoted the ICRC Director of Operations, Dominik Stillhart, as saying in a statement.

    “But this is one of the most critical humanitarian contexts and we will definitely do everything to continue our operations there.”

    IS has been in Afghanistan since 2015, claiming attacks in Kabul and the east.

    But there has been no immediate claim for the attack in Jowzjan.

    The ICRC has had an uninterrupted presence in Afghanistan for 30 years and the organisation said in a tweet that it was “shocked and devastated” by the news.

    The team which came under attack by “unknown armed men” comprised three drivers and five field officers, the statement said.