For the second time in two years, Nigeria has declared a state of emergency across multiple northern states and given the military final jurisdiction over the affected areas. The cause: Boko Haram, one of the most violent jihadi groups to appear in the Sahel in decades. They have killed dozens of people so far this year, carried out complex and co-ordinated attacks, destroyed police stations and army barracks, seized control of whole villages and areas of countryside, and they possess heavy weaponry such as anti-aircraft guns mounted on vehicles. Although the current state of emergency only covers three states, at least eleven states are now severely affected by Boko Haram's activities -nearly a third of the total states in Nigeria.
Boko Haram is becoming a serious threat not only to the Nigerian government, but is also reaching a size such that suppressing it in Nigeria may simply lead to it decamping and spreading out into neighbouring countries such as Niger and Cameroon. Links of ethnicity, culture and anti-government grievances, coupled with the 'prestige' that Boko Haram's successful attacks in Nigeria bring it, may make much of the Sahel a fetile breeding ground for Boko Haram to spread into.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-president-declares-state-emergency-182549903.html
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-deploys-army-northeast-fight-rebels-163519112.html;_ylt=AuMhvGvXzGaPBXNcpFU.eu0SscB_;_ylu=X3oDMTBzOWphMzIxBG1pdAMEcG9zAzEEc2VjA2xuX0FmcmljYV9nYWw-;_ylg=X3oDMTBhYWM1a2sxBGxhbmcDZW4tVVM-;_ylv=3
There aren't enough bars jihadis would go to. Nowhere you could go, sit with a drink, and eavesdrop on the messy, convoluted and contradictory mess that is violent jihadism around the world. So instead we have the imaginary Sharaaabtoon, a place where various self-proclaimed mujahadeen will be brought forth to be seen and overheard, just as if they were the clientele of a bar. Remember: no shahada, no service. Twitter: @Sharaabtoon
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Featured News: Sectarian and anti-government bombs kill 35 in Iraq
A series of car bombs on Wednesday targeted Shia neighbourhoods in Baghdad and government buildings in Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, killing at least 35 overall.
The aim of these attacks is fairly clear: with the onset of sectarian warfare in Syria, Iraq's jihadis are now trying to widen the 'battlefield' into Iraq. Tens of thousands of Iraqis died in the sectarian blood-letting from 2006 to 2007, and this is exactly the kind of conflict that the Syrian-Iraqi jihadis would like to recreate. With the merger/alliance of the "Islamic State of Iraq" and Syria's al-Nusra Front, it has been ensured that the more success either enjoys, the other will be able to push their own country deeper into conflict.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/series-bombs-kills-least-14-people-across-iraq-134640415.html
The aim of these attacks is fairly clear: with the onset of sectarian warfare in Syria, Iraq's jihadis are now trying to widen the 'battlefield' into Iraq. Tens of thousands of Iraqis died in the sectarian blood-letting from 2006 to 2007, and this is exactly the kind of conflict that the Syrian-Iraqi jihadis would like to recreate. With the merger/alliance of the "Islamic State of Iraq" and Syria's al-Nusra Front, it has been ensured that the more success either enjoys, the other will be able to push their own country deeper into conflict.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/series-bombs-kills-least-14-people-across-iraq-134640415.html
Featured News: Syrian Islamist rebel eats opponent's heart on video
Every conflict has an image that comes to symbolize it. Syria's civil war may now have that very picture; a video showing a rebel fighter taking a bite from the heart of a dead government soldier.
The video conveys so much of what Syria's conflict has become: not only in its brutality, but also in its sectarianism; in the video, the cannibalistic rebel leader calls on others to follow his example and terrorize Syria's Alawites. The identity of the rebel also says much about the civil war: he is Abu Sakkar, a famous leader of a group called the Independent Omar al-Farouq Brigade. This is an offshoot -and close ally -of the Farouq Brigades, one of the largest units of the Free Syrian Army. The Independent Brigade has previously been accused of imposing the jizyah (tax on non-Muslims), expelling Christians from the city of Homs, and Abu Sakkar himself has been filmed firing rockets into Shia areas of Lebanon and posing with dead Hezbollah soldiers. The neighbourhood in which the video seems to have been taken is also telling of the conflict as a whole: Baba Amr in west Homs was an early centre of opposition to the al-Assad regime, but was subject to a brutal government counteroffensive earlier this year.
Most worryingly, this heart-eating leader is essentially in charge of the rebel forces struggling to control Homs -one of the most significant battles in the conflict. As a consequence, the rebel National Coalition's half-hearted promise to put Abu Sakkar on trial will likely ring hollow. They are unlikely to ever gain the will or means to carry it out.
Read more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
The video conveys so much of what Syria's conflict has become: not only in its brutality, but also in its sectarianism; in the video, the cannibalistic rebel leader calls on others to follow his example and terrorize Syria's Alawites. The identity of the rebel also says much about the civil war: he is Abu Sakkar, a famous leader of a group called the Independent Omar al-Farouq Brigade. This is an offshoot -and close ally -of the Farouq Brigades, one of the largest units of the Free Syrian Army. The Independent Brigade has previously been accused of imposing the jizyah (tax on non-Muslims), expelling Christians from the city of Homs, and Abu Sakkar himself has been filmed firing rockets into Shia areas of Lebanon and posing with dead Hezbollah soldiers. The neighbourhood in which the video seems to have been taken is also telling of the conflict as a whole: Baba Amr in west Homs was an early centre of opposition to the al-Assad regime, but was subject to a brutal government counteroffensive earlier this year.
Most worryingly, this heart-eating leader is essentially in charge of the rebel forces struggling to control Homs -one of the most significant battles in the conflict. As a consequence, the rebel National Coalition's half-hearted promise to put Abu Sakkar on trial will likely ring hollow. They are unlikely to ever gain the will or means to carry it out.
Read more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Featured News: Boko Haram plans to kidnap women and children
Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau has announced that his group has started kidnapping women and children, purportedly in retaliation for government arrests of the wives and children of his group's members. Shekau added that anyone thusly taken by his forces could then become a "servant".
While no such confirmed kidnappings have yet been carried out by Boko Haram, this is a chilling turn taken by Nigeria's leading violent jihadi group. Kidnappings for ransom and for execution are a staple tactic of jihadis across the world, but these have usually targeted foreigners or wealthy individuals, and the victims have been predominantly adult (and usually male) in most cases. For a jihadi group to specifically target ordinary women and children for kidnapping is therefore an innovation, and one which likely rules out both ransom or execution-on-video as motivations. The victims are unlikely to be wealthy enough for ransom, nor (as locals) perceived as 'significant' enough to warrant execution for the purpose of creating videos meant to 'go viral' on the internet. This means the welfare of the kidnapping victims will depend on how benevolent the jihadis' interpretation of "servant" is -or whether this is simply a cover for yet more murders by Boko Haram.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-extremists-kidnap-women-children-171112245.html
While no such confirmed kidnappings have yet been carried out by Boko Haram, this is a chilling turn taken by Nigeria's leading violent jihadi group. Kidnappings for ransom and for execution are a staple tactic of jihadis across the world, but these have usually targeted foreigners or wealthy individuals, and the victims have been predominantly adult (and usually male) in most cases. For a jihadi group to specifically target ordinary women and children for kidnapping is therefore an innovation, and one which likely rules out both ransom or execution-on-video as motivations. The victims are unlikely to be wealthy enough for ransom, nor (as locals) perceived as 'significant' enough to warrant execution for the purpose of creating videos meant to 'go viral' on the internet. This means the welfare of the kidnapping victims will depend on how benevolent the jihadis' interpretation of "servant" is -or whether this is simply a cover for yet more murders by Boko Haram.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-extremists-kidnap-women-children-171112245.html
Sunday, 12 May 2013
Featured News: Egypt arrests al Qaeda suspects targeting "Western embassy"
Nasr City is a district of Cairo known for its Dubai-style shopping malls, and as the home of the new premises of the renowned al-Azhar University. But last year, it came to the headlines when the so-called "Nasr city terror cell", with suspected links to al Qaeda, was broken up. Back then, it was plotting to assassinate Egyptian public figures.
Now, it seems individuals with links to this former group have been arrested with ingredients for explosives, and a plan to target a "Western embassy" in Cairo. After the attack on the US embassy in Benghazi last year, the French embassy there last month, and an apparently politically-motivated stabbing attack outside the US embassy in Cairo last week, Western embassies are emerging as the target-of-choice for would-be jihadis in North Africa.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-arrests-3-suspected-al-qaida-militants-145633761.html;_ylt=AvDLQDGnDWYgKMIzzmJH_HVvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNma2dpMnY0BG1pdAMEcGtnAzdjN2Y0MDhmLTc5ZjAtMzQyZC04NGFmLWRmNjZmNjI4YTRkYgRwb3MDMwRzZWMDbG5fTWlkRWFzdF9nYWwEdmVyA2Y5ZGEwNzAwLWJhNTgtMTFlMi05ZDU4LTlmYzMxNDAxOWI2Ng--;_ylg=X3oDMTBhYWM1a2sxBGxhbmcDZW4tVVM-;_ylv=3
Now, it seems individuals with links to this former group have been arrested with ingredients for explosives, and a plan to target a "Western embassy" in Cairo. After the attack on the US embassy in Benghazi last year, the French embassy there last month, and an apparently politically-motivated stabbing attack outside the US embassy in Cairo last week, Western embassies are emerging as the target-of-choice for would-be jihadis in North Africa.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-arrests-3-suspected-al-qaida-militants-145633761.html;_ylt=AvDLQDGnDWYgKMIzzmJH_HVvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNma2dpMnY0BG1pdAMEcGtnAzdjN2Y0MDhmLTc5ZjAtMzQyZC04NGFmLWRmNjZmNjI4YTRkYgRwb3MDMwRzZWMDbG5fTWlkRWFzdF9nYWwEdmVyA2Y5ZGEwNzAwLWJhNTgtMTFlMi05ZDU4LTlmYzMxNDAxOWI2Ng--;_ylg=X3oDMTBhYWM1a2sxBGxhbmcDZW4tVVM-;_ylv=3
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Featured News: Pakistanis vote amidst jihadi attacks
As millions of Pakistanis voted today, jihadis with suspected links to the Pakistani Taliban targeted the democratic process. In Karachi, ten people died in a bomb blast outside an office of the Pashtun nationalist Awami National Party (ANP), while a roadside bomb in the same city targeted a bus carrying ANP supporters, killing one. Earlier this week, bombings targeted the rallies of Islamist parties, killing many.
These actions make it increasingly clear that Pakistan's jihadis view anyone at all, even Islamists, who engage in the democratic process as their enemies.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/pakistanis-polls-22-killed-attacks-142534713.html;_ylt=AnQVHi2Z3QMHVfcL.Vf5i7BvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNjOWQ1NDZlBG1pdAMEcGtnA2FjZmVhNzk4LTI1OTctM2EyYS05YjljLTRhM2RjZjk1MGU0YwRwb3MDMwRzZWMDbG5fQXNpYV9nYWwEdmVyA2NmODc4YjYwLWJhNDYtMTFlMi1hM2ZmLTc4Yjg4NDViZWIwNg--;_ylg=X3oDMTBhYWM1a2sxBGxhbmcDZW4tVVM-;_ylv=3
These actions make it increasingly clear that Pakistan's jihadis view anyone at all, even Islamists, who engage in the democratic process as their enemies.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/pakistanis-polls-22-killed-attacks-142534713.html;_ylt=AnQVHi2Z3QMHVfcL.Vf5i7BvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNjOWQ1NDZlBG1pdAMEcGtnA2FjZmVhNzk4LTI1OTctM2EyYS05YjljLTRhM2RjZjk1MGU0YwRwb3MDMwRzZWMDbG5fQXNpYV9nYWwEdmVyA2NmODc4YjYwLWJhNDYtMTFlMi1hM2ZmLTc4Yjg4NDViZWIwNg--;_ylg=X3oDMTBhYWM1a2sxBGxhbmcDZW4tVVM-;_ylv=3
Featured News: Malian jihadis carry out two more suicide bombings
Less than a week after their last suicide attack near Gao, another tow simultaneous attacks were carried out by five bombers in the towns of Gossi and and Menaka. The targets were Malian and Nigerien troops, and although the only casualties (besides the bombers themselves) were two wounded soldiers, the frequency with which these attacks are occurring is testimony to the enduring capacity of Mali's jihadis.
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-bombers-launch-attacks-2-mali-towns-124309450.html;_ylt=Ao3De1F5r90prwnmiNED0vxvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNlajRtcWc2BG1pdAMEcGtnA2UzMDIyM2ZiLTZjMjEtM2ExYy04MzljLTRlNmIwYzI1NzczYwRwb3MDNgRzZWMDbG5fQWZyaWNhX2dhbAR2ZXIDM2ZmYmM4NjAtYjk5NC0xMWUyLTk2ZmYtZWFkNjIwZjEyODc0;_ylg=X3oDMTBhYWM1a2sxBGxhbmcDZW4tVVM-;_ylv=3
Read more:
http://news.yahoo.com/suicide-bombers-launch-attacks-2-mali-towns-124309450.html;_ylt=Ao3De1F5r90prwnmiNED0vxvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNlajRtcWc2BG1pdAMEcGtnA2UzMDIyM2ZiLTZjMjEtM2ExYy04MzljLTRlNmIwYzI1NzczYwRwb3MDNgRzZWMDbG5fQWZyaWNhX2dhbAR2ZXIDM2ZmYmM4NjAtYjk5NC0xMWUyLTk2ZmYtZWFkNjIwZjEyODc0;_ylg=X3oDMTBhYWM1a2sxBGxhbmcDZW4tVVM-;_ylv=3
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