Archive for month: September, 2014

The ISIL Takfiri terrorists in Iraq’s northern city of Tikrit have blown up a holy shrine that was the burial site of dozens of early Muslim figures.

Local people, who have fled the city, say al-Arbain Mosque was completely destroyed on Wednesday.

“Yes, they have blown up this holy site,” Yahya al-Attawi, the imam of the main mosque in Tikrit, said on Thursday.

Witnesses say the terrorists first placed the explosives inside the shrine on Tuesday and then detonated them the next day.

The Takfiri extremists also planted explosive materials inside a very old church in Tikrit.

The Green Church, which has been carved out of a rock, dates back to the seventh century.

The unique building is likely to be blown up in the coming days. Tikrit has been under the ISIL control for several months.

The Takfiri militants have demolished several holy shrines and mosques belonging to Shia and Sunni Muslims as well as Christian sites in the militancy-riddled regions of Iraq and Syria.

The ISIL terrorists currently control parts of Syria and Iraq. They have carried out heinous crimes in the two countries, including mass executions and beheadings of people.

Senior Iraqi and Syria officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and some other Persian Gulf Arab states for the terrorism in their country.

DB/AB/KA

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says any act of terrorism against Iraqi religious cities is a red line for the Iranian nation.

“Any aggression against Iraq’s main and religious cities by terrorists is intolerable to the Iranian people,” the Iranian president said.

Rouhani, who is in New York for the 69th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, made the remarks in a meeting with Iraqi President Fuad Masum on Thursday.

We see Iraq’s security as that of Iran, Rouhani said, adding, “The two nations share the same history, religion and interests, and on this basis, they should stand by each other” in the face of problems.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran wants Iraq’s success, welfare and security,” he said.

The Iraqi president, for his part, described the two nations’ common historical and cultural interests as deep-rooted, saying, “In our view, these ties should always expand and develop.”

“Thanks to Iran’s continuous support, the danger of terrorist groups like the ISIL group has been removed,” the Iraqi president said.

Iraq has been grappling with deadly turmoil triggered by the ISIL Takfiri group.

The ISIL sent its Takfiri militants into Iraq in June, seizing large parts of land straddling the border between Syria and Iraq. They have threatened all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Izadi Kurds and others, as they continue their atrocities in Iraq.

Senior Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and some other Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.

IA/MAM/MHB

The United Nations warns that large numbers of people, including refugees, will be affected by a “massive famine” in the near future in South Sudan.

“What unfolding there is a crisis, a humanitarian crisis of massive proportions; huge numbers of displaced persons and refugees… are going to be affected in the coming weeks and months by a massive famine,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous on Thursday.

The critical situation has been greatly exacerbated by the country’s divided leadership that has failed to put an end to the political turmoil and alleviate the afflictions of the people, added Ladsous who was talking to the press on the sidelines of the 69th annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

South Sudan plunged into violence in December 2013, when fighting erupted between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and defectors led by his former deputy Riek Machar around the capital Juba.

The conflict soon turned into an all-out war between the army and defectors, with the violence taking on an ethnic dimension that pitted the president’s Dinka tribe against Machar’s Nuer ethnic group.

President Kiir and Machar signed a peace deal in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on August 25, pledging to put an end to the deadly civil war.

The clashes have left thousands of South Sudanese dead and forced around 1.5 million people to flee their homes in the world’s youngest nation.

South Sudan gained independence in July 2011 after its people overwhelmingly voted in a referendum for a split from the North.

FNR/MAM/MHB

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for international action to strip Israel of its military nuclear capability.

“Israeli dark record of state terrorism, attacks or threat of attacks to the neighbors, and irresponsible and brutal behavior of Israel in the region… make it more urgent for the international community to put an end to nuclear capability of this regime,” Reza Najafi said on Thursday.

“Indeed, Israel has violated all international norms and regulations,” the Iranian envoy at the IAEA added. 

Najafi made the remarks at an IAEA general conference prior to a vote on a resolution urging Tel Aviv to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and put its nuclear facilities under international monitoring.

The resolution, which was backed by 18 Arab countries, fell short of winning the support of the majority of IAEA member states.

Countries present at the meeting of the Vienna-based IAEA voted 58-45 against the resolution, while 27 abstained.

The resolution was introduced by Kuwaiti Ambassador to the IAEA Sadiq Marafi, who singled out Israel as “the only obstacle on a way to create a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East.”

The Kuwaiti ambassador further lashed out at the Tel Aviv regime’s “provocative and aggressive attitude” in the region.

The Tel Aviv regime, which is widely believed to be the only possessor of nuclear arms in the Middle East, reportedly maintains between 200 and 400 atomic warheads.

Israel has never allowed any inspection of its nuclear facilities and continues to defy international calls to join the NPT.

Hans Blix, the former head of the IAEA, said in an interview with Press TV that he is convinced Israel possesses nuclear weapons.

He called on that Israeli officials join the NPT, saying Tel Aviv’s refusal to sign international nuclear treaties and its deliberate ambiguity policy with regards to its nuclear program are because of Washington’s supports.

A released report in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists also confirms that Israel possesses at least 80 operative nuclear warheads and has enough material to produce up to 190 more.

Nuclear weapon proliferation experts Robert Norris and Hans Kristensen estimate in the report that Israel halted its production of nuclear warheads back in 2004 “once it reached around 80 munitions.”

IA/MAM/MHB

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has raised the alarm about the outbreak of the Ebola virus, urging world leaders to take serious measures to tackle the epidemic.

“Ebola is raging. It kills more than 200 people a day, two thirds of them women. Despite the valiant efforts of local communities, health systems are buckling under the strain,” said the UN chief on Thursday, addressing a meeting to discuss the international response to the world’s worst Ebola epidemic.

“The world can and must stop Ebola now. Today, it is time for the international community to step up and help Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone continue on the path of development and stability,” Ban stated.

The UN Security Council declared last week that the Ebola outbreak should be considered a serious threat to world peace and security.

West Africa’s deadly Ebola outbreak has claimed the lives of more than 2,800 people so far, with over 5,700 being infected.

Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

It remains one of the world’s most virulent diseases, which kills between 25 to 90 percent of those who fall sick. There is currently no known cure for Ebola.

FNR/MAM/MHB