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US State Department: military aid to Egypt due to IS threats

14 Aprile 2015 By Redazione Islamedianalysis

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The decision recently made to deliver US military aid to Egypt is based on an increasing number of threats Egypt has witnessed during the past few months, including IS threats, according to a statement by US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf, wrote Egyptindependent.

The decision does not include an improvement in the human rights situation in Egypt or represent any kind of support for the Egyptian government’s attitude toward internal opposition, Harf said.

The US State Department’s spokesperson added that the sentencing of 14 Muslim Brotherhood members to death and 379 others to prison were not detailed in the provisions within the aid agreement. She confirmed that the United States was still disturbed about the trials and mass sentences in Egypt, which she described as contrary to generally accepted legal and judicial procedures.

Italy FM: Turkey reaction to Pope’s genocide remarks is unjustified

14 Aprile 2015 By Redazione Islamedianalysis

The reaction of the Turkish authorities to the remarks of Pope Francis who dedicated a homily to the victims of the Armenian Genocide is not justified, Italy’s Foreign Minister said.

Paolo Gentiloni said the strength of the tone used by Turkey against the Vatican “doesn’t seem justified to me, bearing in mind that John Paul II said something similar 15 years ago.”

He added that Italy had always called for friendly states of Armenia and Turkey to start dialogue to avoid such situations which may become an obstacle for restoration of ties.

Islamic State militants declare assaults on embassies in Libya: what will be the next?

14 Aprile 2015 By Redazione Islamedianalysis

A bomb exploded on the gate of the Moroccan embassy within the Libyan capital early on Monday, inflicting some injury however hurting no one, a safety official stated, solely hours after gunmen attacked South Korea’s mission in Tripoli, reported Libya Today.

Militants claiming loyalty to Islamic State stated on twitter they have been chargeable for each assaults, the newest strikes towards foreigners, embassies or oilfields in Libya. It was not attainable to confirm the authenticity of the claims.

Islamic State militants have exploited chaos within the North African nation the place two governments allied to a number of armed teams struggle for management 4 years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. The bomb broken the gate and a residential constructing subsequent to the Moroccan embassy situated within the up market Ben Ashour district, stated a safety official. No one was harm by the blast early on Monday, the official stated.
On Sunday, gunmen fired photographs on the South Korean embassy in Tripoli killing two native safety guards and wounding a 3rd individual, South Korean and Libyan officers stated.

A South Korean overseas ministry official in Seoul stated there have been no Korean casualties, including that the embassy was staffed by two overseas service officers and one administrative employees member. He stated the federal government was contemplating relocating, however didn’t elaborate.

Libyan militants professing loyalty to Islamic State have claimed a number of excessive-profile assaults on foreigners in Libya this yr, together with an assault on the Corinthia Lodge in Tripoli and the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians.

They’ve additionally claimed a number of assaults on embassies resembling these of Egypt and Algeria in Tripoli, attacking principally empty buildings as most nations have pulled out diplomatic employees due to the safety state of affairs. Libya’s internationally recognised authorities has been based mostly within the east since a rival faction referred to as Libya Daybreak seized Tripoli in August, establishing a rival administration.

Libya Dawn moves MiG-25s to Misratah

14 Aprile 2015 By Redazione Islamedianalysis

The Libya Dawn coalition has moved three MiG-25 interceptors to the air base in the coastal city of Misratah, satellite imagery shows.

Google Earth imagery from 31 January shows one MiG-25 at the southern apron at the base and three on 28 February. The one present in January does not appear to have moved in the interim.

A low quality photograph also emerged on social media in early April showing what appeared to be ground crew working on a two-seat MiG-25PU with the Libyan Air Force’s post-Ghadaffi roundel.

Libya acquired 96 MiG-25PD interceptor, MiG-25PU trainer and MiG-25RBK reconnaissance variants in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but none were previously based at Misratah.

US will triple military aid to Tunisia

14 Aprile 2015 By Redazione Islamedianalysis

The United States will increase military aid to Tunisia threefold this year and help train its troops, a senior U.S official said Friday, weeks after the country suffered its deadliest militant attack in more than a decade, wrote Voanews.

The U.S. government aimed to provide Tunisia with more equipment, weapons and technical support, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

“Our goal is to enhance their ability to defeat those who threaten the freedom and safety of the nation,” he told reporters after meeting with Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid.

Since a 2011 uprising that toppled Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has, in contrast to much of North Africa and the Middle East, experienced a comparatively trouble-free transition toward democracy.

But it has also seen a rise in Islamist militancy, and last month, gunmen stormed the national Bardo museum in Tunis, killing 21 foreign tourists in an attack for which Islamic State claimed responsibility.

Tunisian authorities are concerned that violence will spill over from Libya, too, where two rival governments and several armed groups are embroiled in a bitter power struggle four years after the ousting of Moammar Gadhafi.

Blinken said the Obama administration would offer the Tunisian army training in border management, the first time it will be involved in training Tunisian soldiers.

Blinken gave no figure for military aid, which he said would rise 200 percent in 2015. Another U.S. official said last year’s package amounted to $60 million.

Japanese, Polish, French and Colombian tourists were among those killed in the museum attack. Tunis said fighters from the Okba Ibn Nafaa militant group, concentrated in the Chaambi mountains bordering Algeria, were also involved in the assault.

Lebanon police arrest key Islamic State militant in Baalbek

14 Aprile 2015 By Redazione Islamedianalysis

A key ISIS militant, who accidentally landed in police custody in Baalbek, east Lebanon, is likely to have played a major role in recruiting jihadis for ISIS, according to a report published Tuesday by Daily Star.

Local daily As-Safir said Turki Qalfoun, a Syrian national, was stopped at a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Baalbek recently and handed over to the local police for lacking an ID card.

Police examined the phone call log on his cell phone to find out that Qalfoun left the northern city of Tripoli five minutes after notorious wanted fugitive Osama Mansour was killed late Sunday and headed to the northeastern border town of Arsal to meet Abu Mohtasem, an Egyptian who belongs to ISIS, As-Safir said.

Interrogation with Qalfoun, who has been moved to Beirut for further investigation, showed that the ISIS militant had frequently visited Egypt, Turkey and Algeria.

He is thought to have played a key role in recruiting jihadis for ISIS in light of an image found on his cell phone that shows him at an ISIS training camp. Also found in his possession was a large amount of cash, the report said.

Separately, an officer with the Free Syrian Army has reportedly handed himself over to a Lebanese Army checkpoint in Baalbek for fear of being killed by ISIS, according to As-Safir.

Europe Union urges more Mediterranean cooperation to tackle terrorism

14 Aprile 2015 By Redazione Islamedianalysis

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini called for stepped up cooperation and dialogue between Europe and its Mediterranean neighbours in North Africa and the Middle East to fight terrorism, wrote Daily Star.

Mogherini made the appeal at a meeting of foreign ministers and representatives from the 28 European Union member states and delegations from eight North Africa and Middle East nations of the southern rim of the Mediterranean.

“It is important to hear from you that your everyday greeting is ‘salam alaikum’, peace be with you, and this is the main message we Europeans need to know first of all, to restart intercultural learning that is important for prevention,” she told a news conference Monday.

“If we want to end jihadist terrorism, we have to go to the root of the question and favour intercultural and interreligious dialogue,” she added.

“All nations in the region are confronted with a fragile security situation which has worsened due to several armed conflicts, mainly in Syria and Libya.”

Foreign ministers and representatives from the 28 European Union member states took part in the gathering along delegations from Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority and Tunisia.

The EU’s other two southern partners, Libya and Syria, both torn by conflict, stayed away.

It was the first high-level meeting of the 43-nation Mediterranean Union since the body was launched in 2008 with the aim of creating a more equal dialogue between the wealthy EU and the poorer states that line the Mediterranean.

Mogherini said she would like to have such a minister-level meeting on a yearly basis.

“We must listen more,” she said.

Her views were echoed by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

“We should speak clearly and freely about delicate subjects,” he said.

The EU has a budget of around 16 billion euros ($17 billion) for 2014-2020 for regional development projects and roughly two-thirds had been earmarked for its southern neighbours to curb the conditions that give rise to jihadism, a diplomatic source said.

“The best way to work together for the security of our region is to boost cooperation in all areas: security of course but also economic, cultural, political,” said Mogherini.

“We are watching a rise in radicalism on the part of our youths, who are following in greater numbers the call to jihadism in the north and south of the Mediterranean,” she added.

Between 5,000-6,000 Europeans are fighting with jihadist groups in Syria could exceed 6,000, EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jouriva told Le Figaro in an interview published Monday.

Around 1,500 Moroccans and 3,000 Turkish nationals have also departed for Syria.

Government officials worry that people who spent time fighting with jihadist groups will carry out attacks when they return to their home nations.

“We need to see how he can provide opportunities to youths so that they are not easy to be recruited by terrorism,” said Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh.

The gathering came a day after two bomb attacks claimed by Egyptian jihadists loyal to the Islamic State group killed at least 14 people in the restive Sinai Peninsula.

Another bomb exploded at the gates of the Moroccan embassy in Tripoli in the early hours of Monday.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned that “terrorism is a challenge for all of us.”

“The Muslim world is a victim of it like the rest. No one should believe the lie of those who speak of a fight between Islam and the West,” he added.

Membership in the Mediterranean Union is open to all states that border the Mediterranean as well as all members of the EU.

Iran boosts weapon shipments to Hamas, Hezbollah in expectation of lifted sanctions

14 Aprile 2015 By Redazione Islamedianalysis

Israeli officials reported that Iran has upped its delivery of weapons to the Lebanese Shiite terror group Hezbollah in the past few weeks. Channel 2 stated that the shipments have been made to both Lebanon and the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.

In addition, the report stated that Iran was sending weapons to Hamas chiefs in Gaza and arming Hamas members in Judea and Samaria.

Channel 2 asserted that the ease in sanctions on Iran from the present nuclear negotiations would allow it to spend “billions of dollars” shipping weapons to Israel’s enemies.

The increase in Iranian arms shipments coincides with Monday’s announcement that Russia will reverse an earlier ban and send S-300 missile defense systems to Iran. Israel is concerned Iran will transfer the systems to Lebanon and Syria, allowing Hezbollah to attack Israel with impunity and imperiling Israel’s ability to strike back.

Lebanese media reported in September 2013 that Hezbollah wanted to use Syria as a base for attacks against Israel. In January 2014, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace division, boasted that Hezbollah could pinpoint targets anywhere in Israel.

In late January, two Israeli soldiers were killed in the northern Har Dov area by anti-tank missiles launched by Hezbollah. IDF positions were targeted by mortar shells.

Islamic State plans recruitment center in Hong Kong

12 Aprile 2015 By Redazione Islamedianalysis

Hong Kong may be ideal for ISIS recruitment and expansion, according to a Chinese counterterrorism expert in a report by abna24.com .

Hong Kong isn’t the United States, France or the United Kingdom, each with hundreds of citizens now in league with extremist ISIS fighters.

Hong Kong, arguably, isn’t even China, which state-run tabloid Global Times reported in December had 300 Chinese nationals fighting in Iraq and Syria, mostly from the traditionally Muslim province of Xinjiang.

Hong Kong, bluntly said, has no citizens worth having.

Sure, it has disillusioned teenagers trying to find purpose—a frequent ISIS recruitment target.

But it’s hard to see kids like Scholarism founder Joshua Wong—defiant as they come but by his own admission not exactly physically intimidating—taking active part in bombings, executions, kidnappings and beheadings.

Hong Kong also has legions with low self-esteem; it is perennially near the bottom of the 10 lowest-ranked nations, just above Japan, in international surveys on confidence and dignity.

ISIS recruiters like that dubious quality in draftees because it makes them easy prey to near-irresistible promises of camaraderie, good morale and sense of belonging—inspiration enough for many foreign fighters to burn their passports.

Still, it’s tough to imagine even ‘loser’ Hongkongers waging jihad, or wanting to die as martyrs fighting infidels.

Then there are those Indonesian domestic helpers who ISIS has already been reportedly recruiting.

Get real. No maid in Hong Kong is going to pledge allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The only pledge she’s using dusts, shines and protects, and makes furniture smell lemony fresh.

Likewise, no maid in Hong Kong is going to move to the dust bowls that are Iraq, Syria or northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region to carry out acts of terrorism.

The only move she’s making is against her bitchy, abusive employer.

Nonetheless, Want China Times reports that Yang Nu, an anti-terrorism professor at Lanzhou University, says Hong Kong may be targeted by the [so-called] Islamic State because it is a region with lots of Muslims.

Hong Kong is also a convenient destination to reach from Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, all countries with significant Muslim populations and threats of infiltration by ISIS, he added.

ISIS, for reference, controls territory in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Nigeria approximately 245 times the size of Hong Kong (about the size of Oregon).

Last year, U.S. President Obama referred to them as al-Qaeda’s “jayvee team.”

Whether that’s an accurate assessment or not, over 60 countries are directly or indirectly waging war against ISIS.

Last month, seven Chinese nationals were detained in Turkey as they attempted to enter Syria, reported The Week, highlighting China’s growing problem with its Muslim minority.

Chinese officials are worried radicalized Uighurs traveling abroad to train and fight for ISIS or another rebel militant group will return with skills that could bolster China’s domestic insurgency.

The prospect of having to face returned fighters with military experience and training in laying improvised explosive device and suicide attacks is deeply concerning to Beijing, said The Week.

Want China Times reports that The Oriental Press Group claims Islamic State may have already infiltrated universities in Beijing, Xi’an and Guangzhou, citing reports that the terrorist organization has been targeting ethnic Muslim Uyghur students in these cities.

After being radicalized, the students would allegedly be sent off to Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand before being transferred to Syria and Iraq to fight for the self-declared caliphate.

Libyan Islamic State militants attack South Korean embassy

12 Aprile 2015 By Redazione Islamedianalysis

Islamic State militant group attacked the South Korean embassy in Libya killing one embassy guard and wounding another, Yonhap news agency reported Sunday, citing a South Korean foreign ministry official.

“There are no reported casualties of South Korean nationals,” the official told the news agency.

South Korea has issued a ban on travel to Libya due to security concerns there