Ansar al-Sharia chief threatens Tunisia

[AFP/Fethi Belaid] Abou Iyadh urged supporters to stand firm in a recent Facebook post.

The head of Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia on Sunday (May 12th) threatened to wage "war" against the government.

"To the tyrants who think they are Islamists... know that the stupid things you are doing are dragging you to war," AFP quoted the statement from Abou Iyadh (real name Seif Allah Ibn Hussein) as saying.

The Abou Iyadh statement was posted on Ansar al-Sharia's Facebook page after Tunisian authorities moved to crack down on salafist activity in the wake of skirmishes with al-Qaeda militants along the Algerian border.

Clashes broke out between security forces and salafists in some poor neighbourhoods near the capital after the authorities prevented the salafists from setting up preaching tents and from delivering sermons.

Sami Essid, one of the leaders of Ansar al-Sharia, condemned recent statements by Interior Minister Lotfi Bin Jeddou about banning preaching tents, charitable convoys and Qur'anic schools.

"He has declared war on Muslims in Tunisia," he said.

"The third annual congress of Ansar al-Sharia will be held in Kairouan again and opposite Uqba Ibn Nafi Mosque on Sunday (May 19th)," he confirmed.

"Abou Iyadh, a leader of Ansar al-Sharia who is wanted by the security forces, won't attend the third annual congress of the group," Essid added. "The only reason for that is that he loves Tunisia and doesn't want to confuse his supporters if he gets arrested by the security forces before them."

In his Sunday statement, Abou Iyadh said that Ansar al-Sharia's young people "would not hesitate to sacrifice for their religion in the land of Kairouan".

Ansar al-Sharia spokesperson Seifeddine Rais told Shems FM on Tuesday that the salafist group expects 30,000 to 40,000 people to attend its Kairouan congress.
(not the end)
Continue to read the full story at MAGHAREBIA site
By Yasmin Najjar and Jemal Arfaoui in Tunis for Magharebia – 14/05/2013

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Indonesian Anti-Terror Campaign Kills 7 Suspected Militants

Members of the anti-terror police arrive at the village of Batu Rengat, where police exchanged fire with suspects in a house in Bandung, West Java province, May 8, 2013.

An elite Indonesian anti-terror squad has killed seven suspected militants and arrested 13 others during a series of raids on the island of Java.

Four of the terror suspects were killed during an all-night firefight Wednesday night at a house in the town of Kebumen. Earlier, an hours-long standoff in Bandung left three suspects dead.

Police spokesperson Boy Rafi Amar says no one from the Detachment 88 terror squad was killed during the operations.

"The terrorists are collecting funds for terror operations by conducting bank robberies. This is one indication they are preparing terror activities, after they have enough funds," said the spokesperson.

Police are investigating to determine if the suspects have ties to a plot to bomb the Burma Embassy in Jakarta in retaliation for recent attacks on Burmese Muslims. Last week, authorities detained two men armed with explosives who are reported to have confessed to planning to bomb the embassy.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim populations in the world. It has waged a campaign against militants since the 2001 Bali blasts killed more than 200 people, mostly foreign tourists. Since then, analysts say most of the country's key militant groups have been weakened.

from VOA News
May 09, 2013

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15 Killed in Clashes Between Bangladesh Police, Islamists

Police try to detain an activist of Hifazat-e-Islam during a clash in front of the national mosque in Dhaka, May 5, 2013.

NEW DELHI — Fiery clashes between Bangladeshi security forces and Islamic hardliners demanding the implementation of anti-blasphemy laws have killed at least 15 people in and around the capital Dhaka since Sunday.
Police worked Monday to clear Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, of any remaining protesters, a day after tens of thousands of members of the radical Islamic group Hefajat-e-Islam took to the streets.

Islamists blocked roadways and fought with police late Sunday, while shouting “God is great” and calling for the Awami League-led government to enact stronger Islamic policies.

The newly formed Hifazat-e-Islam has put forth a list of 13 demands including mandatory Islamic education for all, the segregation of men and women, and death to so-called "atheists".

Former Bangladeshi law minister and current Supreme Court senior advocate Kamal Hossein said such demands will get little support in a country that - despite being 90 percent Muslim - has remained secular since independence.

“I can honestly say that there is complete consensus in the country on non-communal democracy and not getting communalism revived again, not seeing religion mixed up with politics," Hossein said. "Pakistan is having enough difficulties with it for people to just look across [and see how they are faring]. And I have spoken to people from Pakistan and they say ‘you are so fortunate to have been able to have non-communal politics.”

Continue & Read more on VOA News

from VOA News
by Aru Pande

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Hundreds of Christian homes torched by mob in Pakistan

Hundreds of people in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore attacked a Christian neighborhood Saturday and set fire to homes after hearing accusations that a Christian man had committed blasphemy against Islam’s prophet, officials said.

Over 3,000 Muslim protesters turned violent over derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed allegedly made by Sawan Masih, a 28-year-old Christian, three days earlier, police official Multan Khan said.

Blasphemy has acquired a hair-trigger sensitivity across Pakistan in recent years, with an alarming increase in mob violence.

The incident started Friday when a young Muslim man accused a Christian man of committing blasphemy by making offensive comments about the prophet, according to Multan Khan, a senior police officer in Lahore.

“Police arrested Masih, a sanitary worker, on Friday night while the incident actually happened on Wednesday evening,” Khan told AFP.

He said that the arrest was made when Masih’s barber friend Shahid Imran complained that he had made blasphemous remarks about Prophet Mohammed, adding that Christians had fled the area on Friday evening, fearing a backlash.

A rescue operation official Ahmad Raza said, by evening, about 178 houses, 18 shops and 2 churches had been damaged by fire.

from KHAAMA
By Sajad - 09 Mar 2013, 10:54 pm

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Car Bomb Kills 5 Soldiers in Southern Thailand

Authorities in southern Thailand say suspected militants have killed five soldiers and wounded one other with a car bomb in the troubled province of Yala.

Police say the bomb was detonated Sunday morning, as the troops passed by in their patrol vehicle. Two rubber plantation workers were also injured in the blast.

Islamist separatists have been waging an insurgency in the Muslim-dominated provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani since 2004.

More than 5,000 people have died in the fighting.

from VOA News
February 10, 2013

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Suicide attack near Rawalpindi Imambargah; 12 dead, 36 injured

People run away after a blast in Karachi on Wednesday. – Photo by AP

ISLAMABAD: A suicide attack near an Imambargah on Misrial Road in Rawalpindi on Wednesday has left at least 12 people dead and 36 others injured, DawnNews reported.

Police officials said that a suicide bomber had tried to enter a procession near the Imambargah, where the bomber detonated the explosives after being stopped by security forces.

The injured have been taken to a nearby hospital. However, due to area being heavily populated, rescue workers were reported to be having difficulties.

The bodies of five people killed in the blast have been taken to the DHQ Hospital Rawalpindi.

The Misrial Road area was put on high alert by the authorities during the Muslim holy month of Muharram.

Electricity within the vicinity of the area in which the explosion took place has reportedly gone.
Emergency has been declared at all hospitals of the city. The army along with the police and other security agencies have cordoned off the area.

The attack came hours after two bomb blasts killed at least two people near a gathering of Shias in Karachi and a remote-control blast killed at least five in Quetta. 

The violence erupted a day before Pakistan hosts a summit of developing nations attended by the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia and other countries. Some of the presidents have already arrived.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the attacks were designed to create the impression that the government is incapable of providing adequate security for the summit.

“We are trying to build relationships, get investment in Pakistan and these groups are trying to derail the process,” he told Reuters.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has strongly condemned the bombing. In an official statement the prime minister said that the country was united and would never submit to terrorism.

He also said that those injured in the blast be provided with the best medical attention.

President Asif Zardari, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, MQM chief Altaf Hussain and Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad have also strongly condemned the attack.

from DAWN,
5 hours ago

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Russia troops kill 49 militants in North Caucasus sweep

North Caucasus regions within the Russian Federation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MOSCOW: Russian troops on Sunday reported killing 49 militants in a massive security sweep that followed angry comments from President Vladimir Putin about raging violence in the troubled North Caucasus.

The National Anti-Terror Committee said the operation was conducted across several republics of the volatile Muslim region and resulted the removal of some of the most “odious” guerrilla commanders and their followers.

“The coordinated action helped terminate the activities of several odious gang leaders, gang members and their associates, substantially damaging the system under which the bandits operate,” Interfax quoted a committee statement as saying.

The committee said the “large-scale and massive” raids involved both local and federal troops and that 90 militia bases had been destroyed.

However, gave no details about the timeframe for the operation or when it started.

Putin held a meeting on Friday on the North Caucasus in which he berated officials for failing to do enough to bring the region under full control after it witnessed two post-Soviet wars for the independence of rebel Chechnya.

from DAWN

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Nigeria security forces raid bomb factory in Kano

KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian security forces discovered a bomb-making factory on Saturday in Kano, a northern city that has been plagued by an Islamist insurgency, the secret service said.

Boko Haram, a group styled on the Taliban, is waging an insurgency against President Goodluck Jonathan's government with the avowed aim of carving an Islamic state out of Nigeria, a country of more than 160 million split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims.

The group has killed hundreds in gun and bomb attacks in the past two and a half years, mostly in the predominantly Muslim north, although it has struck central Nigeria and the capital Abuja.

The director of the Kano branch of Nigeria's State Security Services (SSS), Bassey Eteng, said the raid had uncovered 12 improvised bombs and bomb-making chemicals, more than 600 rounds of ammunition, military uniforms and eight AK-47 assault rifles.

"Most of the items recovered were going to be used to mount an attack on Sallah (Muslim holiday), according to our intelligence report," Eteng said.

"There was no casualty of any party during the operations. An investigation to find the terrorists continues."

A military push in the north appears to have weakened the group. However, Jonathan's critics say he relies too much on the military to defeat Boko Haram, rather than addressing northerners' grievances such as poverty and unemployment.

As Boko Haram comes under pressure in its northeastern heartland, its attacks have spread further afield. Suspected Islamists opened fire on Christian worshippers in the central state of Kogi on Monday, killing 19.

from REUTERS
Sun Aug 12, 2012 10:00am GMT

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Two killed in Thai south as Ramadan starts

Locator map of Narathiwat Province, Thailand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NARATHIWAT: Two civilians were killed and four wounded in bomb and shooting attacks in southern Thailand, a military spokesman said Friday, as the region marked the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

A 25-year-old male security guard was shot dead by gunmen in Pattani province on Thursday morning, while a 39-year-old man was killed later in a roadside bomb attack in neighbouring Yala, which also left one person with shrapnel injuries.

A car bomb ripped through a shopping street early Friday in the small town of Sungai Kolok, in the southernmost province of Narathiwat which borders Malaysia, wounding three people and destroying several shops.

“Three people were wounded but none is serious,” Colonel Pramote Prom-in, army spokesman for the volatile region, told AFP.

The explosives had been packed inside pick-up truck parked on the street and triggered as people gathered at a morning market, he added.

Authorities had warned that militants were likely to attempt a large-scale attack ahead of Ramadan.

A shadowy insurgency, without clearly stated aims, has raged in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces, Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, since 2004.

Daily bomb or gun attacks have targeted both soldiers and civilians, Buddhists and Muslims, claiming more than 5,000 lives in eight years.

A state of emergency is in force in the worst-affected parts of the region, which rights campaigners say in effect gives the tens of thousands of military troops based in the area legal immunity and fuels rights abuses.

from DAWN

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Bombs kill 7, injure 70 in S. Thailand

Locator map of Yala Province, Thailand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BANGKOK, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Three bomb explosions killed seven people and wounded about 70 on Saturday in the heart of the restive southern province of Yala, the Bangkok Post online reported.

The blasts took place just minutes apart from the Ruam Mitr intersection in the main business center of Yala municipality around noon on Saturday.

Colonel Pramote Promin, a spokesman for the southern army region, told media that seven people are confirmed dead, more than 70 others were wounded, some of whom were in critical condition.

The colonel said there were three bombs that exploded. The first is a car bomb and the second and third bombs were hidden in motorcycles.

The first bomb was hidden in a motorcycle parked outside a karaoke shop. Insurgents detonated the second and third bombs, which had been hidden in cars, when the authorities rushed to check the first explosion.

Several shophouses near the blast sites were on fire and many parked cars and motorcycles were damaged by the powerful explosions.

The injured were sent to the Yala hospital.

Meanwhile, a policeman was wounded in a separate motorcycle bomb attack in Mae Lan district of neighboring Pattani province on Saturday afternoon, local media reported.

Authorities were investigating and blamed separatist militants for the attacks.

Since the resurgence of insurgency in 2004, around 11,000 violent incidents instigated by secessionists in the Muslim- dominant southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat happened, with almost 5,000 people killed and nearly 8,000 injured.


update:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/286901/14-die-in-southern-carnage

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