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ISIS Tag

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on October 20, 2015 10 Comments
British Prime Minister David Cameron has announced new measures to tackle the rise of Islamic extremism in the UK. With this new set of measures, the government wants to counter the influence of Islamic thinking on government-funded institutions, private charities and businesses. Britain is home to about 3 million Muslims, and many Brits have become concerned about the radicalisation of young Muslims taking place in schools and mosques. Today, some 500 to 1000 British Muslims are fighting in the ranks of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria. Additionally, Britain faces the threat of home-grown Islamic terrorism, as highlighted by the London bombings of 2005 that killed more than 50 people in the London public transport system during the rush hour. According to the domestic security service MI5, the home-grown terror plots are now at an all-time high. British broadcaster Channel 4 News quoted Prime Minister Cameron as describing Islamic extremism as "one of the great struggles of our generation."

Posted by Amy Miller on October 17, 2015 9 Comments
Dear Future Husband: If you ever abscond to Syria to join a motley band of terrorists, I will not come looking for you. The rise of ISIS has inspired some truly ridiculous tales of total and complete insanity taking hold of people not currently living in the sandy hellscape of the Middle East. National Guardsmen, young men, newlyweds, and even schoolgirls have all attempted (some successfully) to break free the chains of democracy and join the cause in places like Syria and Iraq. Most, if all of them, have done so knowing how terribly dangerous it is to even attempt to make friendly contact with ISIS. They also knew (and were enthusiastic about) the terror group's rise in prominence and brutality, and that their tickets were one-way. Of course, if a recent story out of the UK-by-way-of-Syria is correct, some of them are just there to pick up their husbands.

Posted by Amy Miller on October 07, 2015 2 Comments
Today, the House Homeland Security Committee released a "Terror Threat Snapchat" detailing the growing threat of Islamic terrorism against targets both in the United States and abroad. So far this year, officials have identified 61 total ISIS attack plots against western targets. This represents a 2x increase in attack plots since 2014. 17 of those plots focused on the United States, and authorities have arrested 55 people this year in ISIS-specific attack cases alone. “Islamist extremist groups are consolidating their control over crucial terrain and seizing the initiative to expand their global footprint," said committee Chairman Michael McCaul in a statement accompanying the report. "Destabilizing aggressors, from the Putin regime in Russia to the world’s leading state sponsor of terror in Iran, are filling the void of American withdrawal to disastrous effect. This global surge in radicalism and instability has directly contributed to the elevated threat level here at home. We need decisive American leadership that starts with shoring up our defenses and advancing a credible strategy to stop the threats at the source.” Key takeaways (as per the Committee's report) include:

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on October 01, 2015 29 Comments
As President Obama told the UN General Assembly that the principle of "might is right" was not the answer to the world's problems and then went on raising a toast to President Putin at a luncheon on Wednesday, September 28, Russian Armed forces where busy installing long-range air-defenses, claiming air superiority over area well beyond Syrian air space, denying access to US and NATO already conducting airstrikes against ISIS positions. Jerusalem Post quoted NATO's top commander, General Philip Breedlove saying Russia’s move to deny access to US and NATO forces in the Eastern Mediterranean was a "a growing problem." Russia’s first airstrike targeted non-ISIS Syria rebels rather than the dreaded Islamic State. BBC reports:
[Russia] launched air strikes in Syria for a second day. [Russian air-]strikes reportedly targeted positions in the north-west held by the Army of Conquest rebel alliance. Russia said it had struck four Islamic State (IS) facilities overnight, and destroyed a "terrorist HQ" outside Idlib and a command post near Hama. (…) Russia carried out about 20 missions on Wednesday. The US fears they targeted non-IS opponents of Russia's ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Obama administration's response was prompt and swift, issuing a 'strong statement' reminding Russia that by resorting to violence, it was 'throwing gasoline on fire.' Only thing those generals on Kremlin fear more, is a sternly worded letter from John Kerry.

Posted by Amy Miller on September 16, 2015 0 Comments
Russia has been an important ally of Syria's during the Assad regime's four year struggle to maintain its hold on power. Moscow recently strengthened its support for the flailing Syrian military, and on Wednesday, Russian media broadcast a roundtable-style interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in which Assad placed the blame for the current European migrant crisis on Western intervention in Syria. Via WaPo:
“If you are worried about them, stop supporting terrorists,” said Assad, referring to Europe-bound Syrians. “This is the core of the whole issue of refugees.” He described U.S. and European criticism of his policies as “propaganda” that will create “more refugees.” ... Assad said that a solution to the conflict could not be found until “terrorism” is defeated. He called on Syrians to “unite” against terror, portraying his government as bulwark against groups like the Islamic State, which a U.S.-led coalition is attacking at its strongholds in Syria and Iraq. The coalition does not attack Syrian government assets. U.S. officials do not coordinate those attacks with Assad’s forces.
You can watch the full interview with Russian media here:

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on August 27, 2015 9 Comments
Spiritual leaders of Islam have now come together and spoken in unison against the greatest evil of our times. If you are waiting for these 'holy men' to condemn radical Islam or atrocities committed by Islamic State (ISIS) please don’t hold your breath just yet. UK-based Guardian newspaper reports that Islamic scholars have “called on the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims to take action on climate change [sic]”. This came just days after Guardian ran another story with the headline, “Islamic leaders issue bold call for rapid phase out of fossil fuels”. It is heartwarming to see Muslim leaders who can’t ever seem to get their act together in taking a stand against the radicalism in their faith are tripping over each other to get on Al Gore’s 'emission-free' bandwagon. According the report published in The Guardian on August 21, 2015 :
Muslims have a religious duty to take action against climate change, according to a declaration released by a major group of Islamic scholars, faith leaders and politicians from 20 countries. The Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change, launched in Istanbul, is aimed at the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims and suggests mosques and Islamic schools should immediately take action.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on August 13, 2015 7 Comments
A high-profile trial is currently underway in Germany. 26 year-old Ebrahim H.B. and 27 year-old Ayoub B. are facing terrorism charges after returning back from Syria, having served as ISIS combatants. Just like in U.S., the German mainstream media too is clueless about the motivations of these two jihadists. Media can’t credibly talk about “resentment” and “alienation” in case of this relatively prosperous duo, it has to contend with "personal distress" and trauma as main reasons to explain the pathological behaviour of the alleged terrorists. Ebrahim H.B., a German citizen of Tunisian-origin is charged with planning a suicide bombing in Baghdad. The media repeatedly emphasized the "quiet" and "shy" nature of the alleged ISIS-mastermind, who joined the Terrorist group just because his “planned wedding was called off”. The leading German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported [Author’s Translation]:
On Monday, Ebrahim H.B. told the Regional High Court in Celle that he had been very upset at that time. In spring of 2014 his fiancée called off their planned wedding. “I felt extremely humiliated by that.”

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 11, 2015 14 Comments
A Mississippi couple has been arrested for planning to join ISIS during their honeymoon in Syria. They were taken into custody as they were preparing to board a flight for Istanbul. CNN reports:
Feds: Mississippi couple planned to join ISIS in Syria Two Mississippi residents were arrested last weekend and charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, according to a law enforcement official. Muhammad Oda Dakhlalla and Jaelyn Delshaun Young were arrested at a Mississippi airport on Saturday. Authorities say they were planning to travel overseas to join the terror group. An initial court appearance from Monday was continued to today, when a criminal complaint will be announced. CNN obtained a copy of the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court. Law enforcement sources confirmed it is genuine but said the final version of the complaint could change. According to the criminal complaint, Young and her soon-to-be husband were planning to fly from Mississippi to Europe, then travel to Syria and join ISIS.
Here's a video report from CBS:

Posted by Amy Miller on July 23, 2015 7 Comments
The Wall Street Journal is reporting via defense officials that Ankara has agreed to allow the United States to launch air strikes against ISIS from the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey. This is a departure from previous Turkish policy, which until now only allowed drone launches from the base. No Turkish aircraft will be used in any strikes launched by the US. Reuters reports that a deal between President Obama and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan may have been reached as early as Wednesday; White House press secretary Josh Earnest told the media today that the two leaders have reached an agreement to "deepen" cooperation in the fight against ISIS, but didn't go into details. Turkey's concerns about the violence in Syria go beyond the threat ISIS poses to the rest of the world. Until now, Turkish officials have refused to lead on the Islamic State pushback, citing concerns that merely taking out ISIS will not quash the violence caused by intra-Syrian conflict. Ankara has advocated for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in exchange for a larger role.

Posted by Amy Miller on July 22, 2015 10 Comments
The 2016 elections will boil down to cause, and effect---and when it comes to foreign policy, the Democrats will have much to answer for, especially when it comes to the rise of ISIS. The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, which began in 2010, remains one of Obama's more controversial foreign policy orders to date. The war wasn't popular, but then again, neither was the idea of letting go of a country we fought so hard to clean out and control before that country was ready to stand on its own two feet. Still, Obama persisted, and the rest is history: large parts of Iraq crumbled, and the chaos gave rise to the Islamic State's brutal, terrifying brand of terrorism. Outgoing Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno spent more time in Iraq than any other U.S. General; he was an architect of the Surge, and spent half his time overseas as a top commander---and he says the chaos we're seeing today could have been prevented if only the Administration had agreed to follow recommendations regarding the pace of troop withdrawals, saying, “If we had stayed a little more engaged, I think maybe it might have been prevented... I've always believed the United States played the role of honest broker between all the groups and when we pulled ourselves out, we lost that role.” Via Fox News:

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 22, 2015 30 Comments
Mark Halperin of Bloomberg Politics recently interviewed 2016 Democratic Party presidential candidate Martin O'Malley. Their discussion covered a wide range of topics, but when talk turned to foreign policy, O'Malley suggested that climate change was behind the rise of ISIS. Transcript and video via Real Clear Politics:
Martin O'Malley: Climate Change Created ISIS MARTIN O'MALLEY: One of the things that preceded the failure of the nation state of Syria and the rise of ISIS, was the effect of climate change and the mega-drought that affected that nation, wiped out farmers, drove people to cities, created a humanitarian crisis that created the symptoms — or rather, the conditions — of extreme poverty that has now led to the rise of ISIS and this extreme violence.
The interview is approximately six minutes long. To hear the segment on ISIS and climate change, skip to the 3:40 mark:

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on July 21, 2015 3 Comments
The threat of ISIS has spread from Syria and Iraq, to Egypt, and even to Europe and the United States. Islamic militants are using both ground operations and digital campaigns to infiltrate new territory, and recent reports show that now India's government is alarmed at the recent inroads made by ISIS, especially in the country's northern regions. India is home to the world's second largest Muslim population. Numbering roughly 180 million, Muslims make up for about 14 percent of the country's population, and ISIS is taking full advantage of the opportunity to seize control of new ground. Not only have young Indian Muslims joined the ranks of ISIS combatants in Syria and Iraq, they are also acting as influential jihadi propagandists online. In December 2014, Britain’s Channel 4 uncovered the identity of a Bangalore-based man allegedly operating ISIS' most influential Twitter account. ISIS’ influence in India is not limited to just talk anymore. Supporters of the terror outfit in Muslim-dominated regions are feeling emboldened to show their support outside the realm of cyberspace---and it shows. Nowhere is the support for ISIS stronger than in the northern Indian State of (Jammu-) Kashmir. In early 1990s, widespread anti-Hindu pogroms in Kashmir drove about half a million people from their ancestral homes. Having cleansed large parts of Kashmir from the native Hindu population, the Islamists are now fighting to carve out a separate, Islamic country.

Posted by Amy Miller on July 21, 2015 8 Comments
Today Britain's Crown Prosecution Service revealed that it has charged two Muslim relatives with plotting to commit terror attacks against US military members stationed in the United Kingdom. Junead Khan, 24, and his uncle Shazib Khan, 22, were arrested after authorities discovered that the two men were planning on traveling to Syria with the goal of joining Islamic State fighters there. More via Fox News:
Sky News reported that the men were arrested a week ago in a joint operation between Bedfordshire Police and the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorist Command Unit and that armed police were involved in one of the arrests. Police say searches were carried out at two addresses in the Luton area as part of the operation which forms part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist-related terrorism. "We have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge Junead Khan and Shazib Khan with the intention of committing acts of terrorism," said Deborah Walsh, of the Crown Prosecution Service. "It is alleged that Junead Khan and Shazib Khan had been planning on travelling to Syria to join the proscribed organization Islamic State in Levant.

Posted by Amy Miller on July 20, 2015 4 Comments
Even before the bloody beginning of July, U.S. defense authorities had at least one eye focused on Egypt's Sinai peninsula---and now, they're stepping in to make sure that ISIS doesn't gain a more solid foothold in the region. Late last week, a militant arm claiming loyalty to the Islamic State took responsibility for a missile attack on an Egyptian frigate in the Mediterranean. The group claims it used a missile to blow the ship up, but as Time magazine reports, that claim is disputed by Egyptian officials who have said that the frigate was merely set on fire and saw no loss of life. SITE Intel Group posted pictures of the attack to Twitter: Footage, allegedly released by ISIS and showing the attack on the frigate, can be seen here.

Posted by Amy Miller on June 26, 2015 7 Comments
Early this morning, we reported on the brutal terror attacks near Lyon, France that left one person decapitated and at least two others wounded. An ISIS flag was spotted over the scene of the attack---but the extremists didn't stop there. Terrorists went on a three continent killing spree today, also attacking sites in Tunisia and Kuwait. Popular Tunisian coastal town Sousse was soaked in blood earlier today after terrorists opened fire on a beach. 37 were killed and 36 injured, some of them tourists. Meanwhile in Kuwait, 25 people are dead and 200 are injured after a mosque bombing:
ISIS claimed responsibility for what it called a suicide bombing at the Shiite-affiliated Al-Sadiq mosque. The group put the number of dead and injured in the dozens. Cell phone video posted to social media and apparently shot at the mosque showed worshippers walking and stumbling through a dust- and rubble-filled interior, many with their white robes splattered in what appeared to be blood.

Posted by Amy Miller on June 23, 2015 12 Comments
Since last year, Obama Administration officials have been internally debating whether or not to continue with their existing policy banning the payment of ransom to terrorists in exchange for hostages. In the United States, the law specifically bans the aiding of a terror organization; however, debate over the diplomatic effects of this policy rose to the forefront last year, when ISIS terrorists demanded ransom in exchange for the life of a 25 year-old American woman. The US policy of denying ransom---either paid by the government, or private parties---caused tension in the international community. Switzerland, Spain, and France, among others, all permit negotiations with terror organizations, with all of Europe contributing at least $125 million to Al Qaeda and its affiliates in the last 5 years. Last month, the Administration signaled that it was ready for a shift in policy by discussing the possibility of creating a "Hostage Czar," who would be responsible for guiding families through the ransom payment process; and now, the White House is ready to announce an official change in policy that would allow families to pay ransoms to terror organizations without fear of prosecution.

Posted by Amy Miller on June 22, 2015 1 Comment
Another day, another opportunity for domestic terrorists to begin their work on US soil. Today, the FBI arrested 19 year-old Justin Nojan Sullivan after an extended investigation revealed he may have been plotting ISIS-style attack here in the US. Officials aren't yet sure (or haven't yet revealed) exactly how large of a safety threat Sullivan posed; he was arrested after law enforcement discovered a silencer in the North Carolina home where he lived with his parents. Sullivan had asked a private dealer---in reality an FBI agent working undercover---to build the silencer for him, and bragged to the agent about what he planned to do with it:
...an undercover operative made contact with Sullivan, who allegedly told him, "I liked IS from the beginning, then I started thinking about death and stuff so I became a Muslim." The FBI says Sullivan talked about buying an assault rifle from a gun show in North Carolina and shoot people last weekend "because his parents would be out of town at the time." He did not buy a rifle before he was arrested Friday but allegedly planned to purchase one at the Hickory Gun Show last weekend.

Posted by Amy Miller on June 19, 2015 2 Comments
Today, federal prosecutors charged 21 year-old Samuel Rahamin Topaz with attempting to assist ISIS, and with conspiring with three other Americans to join the fight in the Middle East. He was arrested Wednesday after officials discovered evidence that led them to believe Topaz was providing material support to a terror organization. One of his alleged co-conspirators, Munther Omar Saleh, 20, was arrested earlier this week on similar charges, and another, Fareed Mumini, 21, was arrested after attempting to stab an FBI agent during the execution of a search warrant. Topaz appears to have panicked after Selah's arrest, and may have been planning to move forward with plans to travel to the Middle East. The New York Times has the background:
Earlier this year, a friend of Mr. Topaz’s began talking to the authorities. He told them several people, including a man who fits Mr. Saleh’s description, were “trying to recruit” Mr. Topaz for overseas travel by “preying” on his insecurities, according to a criminal complaint prepared by an F.B.I. special agent. In a text message in May to the alleged co-conspirator who fits Mr. Saleh’s description, the complaint says, Mr. Topaz wrote: “And bro I’m not sure how much longer I can take not being in the dawla honestly,” referring to the Islamic State. They discussed traveling to Turkey and then the Islamic State, and Mr. Topaz described efforts to raise money for the trip. Mr. Saleh replied at one point: “Then ur gonna enter the land of no music, and no Preverts taking girls out to violate them, no intoxication, no Filth, period! Allahu akbar!”
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