Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi arrives in Nineveh amid secrecy

/in /by

A local source in Nineveh province said on Monday, that the leader of the “ISIS” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has arrived in the province coming from the Syrian area of Albu Kamal accompanied by leaders of Arab and foreign nationalities.

The source, who requested anonymity said: “This evening, al-Baghdadi as well as a group of the Arab and foreign leaders of the ISIS organization arrived in Nineveh coming from the area of Albu Kamal,” noting that, “His arrival was not in the form of a large convoy.”

The source also added, “Al-Baghdadi entered Nineveh amid complete secrecy.”

/257

First Qatari Soldier killed in Yemen

/in /by

A Qatari soldier serving with the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has been killed, Qatar’s first fatality of the conflict, the foreign minister said on Wednesday.

“We congratulate ourselves and our nation for the death of a son of our homeland in Yemen,” Khalid bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah announced on Twitter.

Government officials later confirmed the death, though no more details were given.

There have been no previous deaths reported among the Qatari force though two soldiers had previously been injured, said officials.

Yemen has been since March 26 under brutal aggression by Saudi-led coalition. Thousands have been martyred and injured in the attack, with the vast majority of them are civilians.

Riyadh launched the attack on Yemen in a bid to restore power to fugitive president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to Saudi Arabia.

Qatar’s air force, along with those of other Gulf Cooperation Council members, has taken part in the aerial campaign which began in March this year.

Doha sent 1,000 troops into Yemen in September as part of the ongoing Arab coalition against the Arab impoverished country.

Most of the Qatari troops are thought to be stationed close to the Yemen-Saudi border.

/257

ISIS hunts down men disguised as women in Mosul

/in /by

The ISIS group has established multiple checkpoints inside Mosul to check for girls and young women because the group claims that many men have recently started disguising themselves as women, according to a Kurdish official on Wednesday.

“ISIS has recently placed several checkpoints on the main roads inside Mosul. Every woman will be checked by two women to make sure they are not men dressed as women,” Ismat Rajab, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) branch in Mosul said.

Rajab added: “ISIS is fearing that many men have started to dress like women so they would walk around easily because most of the men in Mosul had been asked to join the organization.”

On October 31, ISIS reportedly executed a group of boys and young men in Mosul between the ages of 12 and 16 trying to flee the extremist-held city, another KDP official said at the time.

/257

Iran’s Hajj official urges pilgrims to get Iraq visas for Arbaeen

/in /by

Head of Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Saeed Ohadi urged all Iranians wishing to travel to Iraq for Arbaeen rituals to ensure having a visa.

He said coordination is already in place with the Iranian foreign ministry and Iraqi embassy in Iran for issuing visas for pilgrims in 15 cities across the country.

He noted that visas will be issued only on border towns as well as Khorramshahr in Khuzestan province which neighbors Iraq.

The official stressed that necessary measures have been taken to guarantee safety of Iranian pilgrims during the rituals in Iraq.

Iraqi Interior Minister Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban had already announced that a representative office of the Iraqi consulate will open in the border province of Ilam to facilitate passage of pilgrims for Arbaeen rituals inside Iraq.

He said pilgrims will receive up to 60-day visas to avoid huge crowds at the border crossing.

The minister stressed that all pilgrims wishing to enter Iraq have to have visas otherwise they will be denied entry into the country.

Al-Ghabban highlighted the readiness of his government to provide security and all needed facilities for the Arabeen pilgrims.

Meanwhile, an Iranian Police official too said that drones will be used at Arbaeen to control the traffic and the pilgrims’ security in the Mehran international border.

Colonel Mokhtar Chehri said the drones will also give aid services to the pilgrims at that occasion.

The Astan (custodianship) of the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) in Karbala, Iraq, said preparations are being made for hosting millions of pilgrims on the upcoming occasion of Arbaeen.

According to the website of the Astan, an integrated plan has been underway for ensuring security and arranging the necessary services for the pilgrims.

Every year a large number of pilgrims converge on the holy city of Karbala on the day of Arbaeen.

In the past two years, the number was estimated to be more than 20 million.

Arbaeen marks the anniversary of the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions in the Battle of Karbala in the year 61 after Hijra (680 AD).

On this day, Shia Muslims all over the world mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions.

This year, Arbaeen falls on Wednesday, December 2.

/257

Boko Haram suicide bombers attack mosque in Cameroon

/in /by

Two female suicide bombers suspected of belonging to the Boko Haram militant group blew themselves on Monday near a mosque in Cameroon’s Far North province, military officials said on Monday.

It was not immediately clear if the explosions caused other fatalities.

Boko Haram has led a six-year campaign for an ISIS in northeastern Nigeria. Neighboring countries including Cameroon joined forces against the group last year, driving its offensive beyond Nigeria and displacing thousands of people.

/257

Four Shia Teenagers Win Top Titles at Saudi Arabia’s Quran Competition

/in /by

Four Shia teenagers in Saudi Arabia managed to win top ranks in the 3rd edition of national Quran and Hadith memorization competition held in the holy city of Medina.

The four are students of Tarateel Al-Fajr Quranic Institute affiliated to Alam Al-Huda Cultural Center in Safwa, a Shia-dominated region located north of Qatif and South of Jubail.

Seyyed Abdullah Rami Hashim Al-Sadah and Abdullah Ahmad Al Mubarak were respectively the fourth and sixth rank winners in memorization of 5 Juzes (parts) of Quran.

In memorization of 20 Juzes of Quran Seyyed Muhammad Hashim Al-Shurafa won the seventh rank and Tahir Fathi Al Abdullah was the 13th top participant in memorization of 10 Juzes.

It was the second time that representatives of the Quranic institute attended the national Quran competition and won top ranks.

/257

Imam Hussein shrine unveils the history of ‘Karbala in the Ottoman Documents’

/in /by

Ahlul Bayt News Agency – The International Media of the Imam Hussein Holy Shrine has published the first edition of ‘Karbala in the Ottoman Documents’, within a project to obtain all documents associated with the holy city and its holy shrines.

The head of the International Media, Hassan Ali Kadhum, said, “After nearly two years of hard-fought efforts, we were able to obtain, translate, categorize, typeset and design the documents associated with Karbala to publish the first edition of ‘Karbala in the Ottoman Documents’ consisting of 516 pages.”

Sabah al-Taliqani, project’s coordinator, added “We categorized the documents into eight parts: Military, Financial, Administrative, Medical, Economical, Religious, Tribal and Architectural,” mentioning the initiation of the work on the second edition, which will contain other categories concerning other fields.

It is noteworthy that the Ottomans ruled Iraq for four centuries up until 1920.

/129