Islam - Current Day - Erdogan Arrests More Military Officers; US IS Man Arrested; French Islamic Groups Refuse Charter; Baghdad Suicide Bombings

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160 active military personnel detained in Turkey over links to Gulen ‘terrorist organization’ behind 2016 botched coup

19 Jan 2021 10:57

FILE PHOTO. Turkish special force police officers stand guard on top of the Sincan Penal Institution

at the 4th Heavy Penal Court near Ankara. © AFP

Dozens of servicemen have been detained in a large-scale operation in Turkey, local media report. The soldiers are suspected of having links to Fethullah Gulen, the exiled preacher Ankara believes was behind the 2016 coup attempt.

The large-scale operation, which swept across 60 Turkish provinces, was reported on Tuesday by the state-owned Anadolu news agency, citing security sources.

Arrest warrants for 238 people, all of whom are active members of Turkish Armed and Air Forces, as well as of its Gendarmerie General Command, had been issued by Izmir prosecutors. A number of the suspects are said to be high-ranking officers, including six colonels, three lieutenant colonels and nine majors.

Some 160 people have already been detained, after other recent police raids. At least 213 of all the suspects are believed to have had frequent phone contacts with the “private imams” of the so-called Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization (FETO). That entity, which is alleged to be in existence and led by Gulen, the elusive, US-based, exiled cleric and former ally –though now arch-nemesis – of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been accused by Ankara of staging the botched 2016 coup attempt. Gulen, however, has consistently denied his involvement in the violence that left over 250 people killed and triggered the ongoing purge by Ankara of suspected FETO supporters.

Since the coup attempt, some 80,000 people have been held pending trial, while more than 150,000 public servants, military personnel and others have been sacked or suspended over alleged ties to FETO.

For the past 100 years, the military has been able to keep the government of Turkey from becoming too Islamic. Ataturk's takeover after the defeat of the Ottomans, and the Armenian genocide, brought some dignity to Turkey. Each time a radical Muslim leader would attempt to take control, the military would step in and restore secularism. 

Erdogan has managed to avoid a military coup as he moves Turkey more and more toward a sultanate, by getting rid of those military officers he presumes are a danger to him. Whether they have anything to do with Gulen or not is anybody's guess right now. But, for sure, Erdogan is in control.

‘Islamic State-inspired’ US soldier arrested over alleged plot to bomb

American troops and attack NYC 9/11 Memorial

19 Jan 2021 20:34

FILE PHOTO © REUTERS/Bryan Woolston

An American soldier has been arrested on terrorism charges, including suggesting wiring explosives into buildings as part of an Islamic State plot to kill US troops, as well as allegedly planning an attack on the 9/11 Memorial.

Ohio man Cole James Bridges, 20, was held in Georgia on Tuesday, and is charged with the assistance of a foreign terrorist organization and the attempted murder of US military service members, the US Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

The private first class, also known as Cole Gonzales, had expressed his support for the terrorist Islamic State group on social media, according to the criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday in Manhattan Federal Court.

After joining the US Army in late 2019, Bridges began unknowingly communicating with a member of the FBI in October last year, with the bureau employee posing as an IS supporter who claimed to be in touch with the terrorist group in the Middle East.

The soldier is then said to have used his army training to guide supposed IS fighters about potential attacks in New York City, including on the 9/11 Memorial.

In December 2020, Bridges allegedly provided diagrams of “specific military maneuvers” to help IS fighters “maximize the lethality of attacks on US troops” while also pledging his allegiance to the terrorist group in videos. He suggested militants should wire particular buildings with explosives in order to kill American troops, the charges claim.  

“As alleged, Cole Bridges betrayed the oath he swore to defend the United States by attempting to provide ISIS with tactical military advice to ambush and kill his fellow service members,” said Manhattan US Attorney Audrey Strauss.

If convicted, Bridges faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each of his alleged crimes. He is set to appear in a federal court in Georgia on Thursday.

France’s main Muslim organization slams three Islamic groups for not signing up to anti-extremism charter

21 Jan 2021 13:11

FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron stands with former Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe (R)

in the courtyard of the Zitouna mosque in the Medina (old town) in Tunis, Tunisia, February 1, 2018.

©  REUTERS / Eric Feferberg / Pool

The President of the French Council of the Muslin Faith (CFCM) has criticized three Islamic groups in the country over their decision to refuse to sign up to an anti-extremism charter proposed by President Emmanuel Macron.

The Faith and Practice movement, Committee for Coordination of Turkish Muslims in France (CCMTF) and Milli Gorus Islamic Confederation (CMIG) jointly announced on Wednesday evening that they will not sign the charter that has been proposed, in the wake of Islamic terrorist attacks across Europe during 2020.

“[These groups] risk being held responsible for this situation of division,” Mohamed Moussaoui, President of the CFCM said in a statement, calling their actions “repetitive” and describing how they are unlikely to “provide reassurance” that the Muslim religion should not be feared.

The three organizations reportedly refused to sign the charter over their concern about the way that it defines foreign interference in religion and the Islamic faith. 

Explaining their refusal, the groups claimed that they fear “certain passages and formulations in the text submitted are likely to weaken the bonds of trust between the Muslims of France and the nation.”

Some statements are prejudicial to the honour of Muslims, with an accusatory and marginalising tone.

Gee, I wonder where that came from?

The CFCM is comprised of nine groups but, so far, only five have agreed to sign the charter and work with the French government to address concerns in the country about radicalization and religious extremism.

So, one is unaccounted for in this article!

President Macron proposed the charter towards the end of 2020, as well as implementing a crackdown on mosques and organizations that push extremism, after a teacher was beheaded by an Islamic extremist over a lesson where he showed pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as part of a discussion on free speech.

Double suicide bombing hits Baghdad, killing at least 32 and injuring around 110 others

21 Jan 2021 09:29 

A view shows the site of a suicide attack in Baghdad, Iraq January 21, 2021. ©  REUTERS / Thaier al-Sudani

The Iraqi government has confirmed social media reports of two suicide bombings in the country’s capital, with the explosions in central Baghdad killing at least 32 and injuring around 110 others.

Two explosions were heard in Tayaran Square, Baghdad by witnesses after suicide bombers are believed to have detonated explosive vests in the area's busy marketplace. 

In response to the attack, Iraq has deployed intense security measures and closed roads around the site of the attack, establishing a green zone while they evaluate the extent of the casualties and damage caused, according to state media.

The Iraqi health ministry has confirmed 32 fatalities and 110 injuries, as the death toll from the blast continues to rise.

The country has been on high security alert since the beginning of this month over concerns of a potential attack, and local authorities have been conducting field inspections around Baghdad International Airport as part of an operation to find and disarm any unauthorized weapons. It's not clear if this incident is linked to that security threat.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings. 

It is very telling toward Islamic Insanity that there are so many factions of Muslims in Iraq, and elsewhere, that they can't tell who is responsible for blowing up over 140 people.

Islam - Current Day - Boko Haram Horrific Attack; 2 Afghan Car Bombs; Iraqi Refinery Attacked

The Religion of peace is having a very busy weekend

Perhaps their definition of 'peace' is different from ours?

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UN says at least 110 killed in suspected Boko Haram attack in Nigeria

where many victims were beheaded

29 Nov 2020 15:25

The funeral of those killed in suspected Boko Haram in Nigeria’s Borno state. © Reuters

The death toll in a suspected Boko Haram attack on farmers in northeastern Nigeria on Saturday has reached at least 110, a UN humanitarian coordinator in the country said, urging the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

“At least 110 civilians were ruthlessly killed and many others wounded in this attack,” Edward Kallon, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, said in a statement. 

The incident was the “most violent direct attack against innocent civilians” in the country in 2020, Kallon pointed out. The perpetrators of this “heinous and senseless” act must be brought to justice, he added.

A group of armed men on motorcycles ambushed the farmers as they went into the rice fields to gather the harvest on Saturday. The bodies of 43 farmers have been recovered after the massacre, with around 30 of them being beheaded. The security forces have been searching the area for those missing.

“Several women” have also been kidnapped by the militants, with Kallon calling for their safe and swift release.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the tactics of the insurgents resembled those used by Islamic State-affiliate Boko Haram, which is responsible for thousands of civilian deaths in Nigeria over the past decade.

The burial ceremony for the 43 victims took place in Zabarmari village on Sunday, attended by hundreds of mourners and Borno state Governor Babagana Zulum.

The bodies were wrapped in white burial shrouds and placed on wooden pallets as the priests led prayers for those killed. During his speech, Zulum called upon the federal government to recruit more security personnel to protect the local farmers, who found themselves “in a very difficult situation.”

“On one side, they stay at home they may be killed by hunger and starvation, on the other, they go out to their farmlands and risk getting killed by the insurgents,” he pointed out.

There’s been a sharp spike in food prices in Nigeria recently caused by flooding, the closure of borders and the activities of militants in agricultural areas.

Borno State

Car bomb kills 30 troops at Afghan base

29 Nov, 2020 08:05 

Afghan security forces © Reuters / Mohammad Ismail

At least 30 security personnel were killed and more than 20 injured when a suicide car bomb hit a military base in Afghanistan early on Sunday in one of the deadliest attacks against the country’s forces in months.

The incident occurred in the main city of the eastern province of Ghazni, which has been plagued by fighting between government troops and Taliban militants. 

The provincial hospital in Ghazni has received 30 bodies and 24 wounded, according to its director, Baz Mohammad Hemat. “All of them are security personnel,” he said. The governor’s office also confirmed the attack.

A suicide bomber detonated “a Humvee vehicle, which was full of explosives,” a security source told local Tolo News website. 

Afghan commandos were reportedly among those stationed at the compound.

No group has so far taken responsibility for the attack.

2nd Suicide bomb

Another suicide attack took place in Qalat, the capital of the southern Zabul Province, early on Sunday. The explosion left three civilians killed and at least 23 others wounded, including four in critical condition, Tolo News reported.

The target of the attack was most likely the head of Zabul’s provincial council, Ata Jan Haqbayan. An attempt to blow up the car in which he had been travelling was made shortly after the official left home for work. Haqbayan escaped with light injuries.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Besides the Taliban, Islamic State has also been active in the country, targeting both security personnel and civilians.

The suicide bombings in Ghazni and Qalat come as US-brokered peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have stalled.

ISIS claims responsibility for rocket attack on Iraqi oil refinery

29 Nov, 2020 19:35

FILE PHOTO: A view of Baiji oil refinery, north of Baghdad, October 16, 2015 © Reuters / Thaier al-Sudani

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a rocket attack that set an oil refinery in northern Iraq on fire. The refinery was previously put out of action by IS during the caliphate’s Iraqi campaign.

Two rockets struck the Siniya refinery on Sunday afternoon, hitting a fuel storage depot and setting the facility ablaze, Reuters reported. Shortly afterwards, Islamic State took responsibility for the attack.

There were no casualties reported, but the blaze halted production at the site.

Production was only restarted at Siniya in 2017, after the facility was damaged by IS militants in their post-2013 expansion across much of Iraq and Syria. A small refinery, Siniya had an output of 20,000 barrels per day before its destruction, a fraction of the 310,000 put out by the nearby Baiji refinery, which is Iraq’s largest. Baiji was also destroyed and looted by IS militants in 2015.

Since the recapture of both facilities by Iraqi security forces, the terrorist group has nevertheless continued to launch sporadic attacks on the two refineries. A bomb blast in 2018 killed one Siniya worker and wounded 11 others, while IS fighters killed three government-backed militia fighters in Baiji that same year. Multiple gun battles have since broken out between IS militants and pro-government forces in the villages surrounding the refineries.

Not quite 100% obliterated!

IS’s expansion was halted by the Iraqi and Syrian governments, as well as the Russian military, Kurdish fighters, Iranian-backed militias, and a US bombing campaign. Though the group has lost all of its territorial gains and is – in the words of US President Donald Trump – “100 percent obliterated,” IS’ adherents continue to periodically launch attacks throughout the Middle East, with a roadside bombing and gun assault near Baiji killing at least six Iraqi security officials and four civilians earlier this month.

Siniya, Iraq