Kidnapping girls, Boko Haram tactic

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Human Rights Watch says the Boko Haram Takfiri militants have been using female abductees to achieve their tactical goals in their fight against the Nigerian government.

The rights organization issued a report about Boko Haram violence against women and girls on Monday based on interviews conducted with over 40 witnesses and victims of Boko Haram abductions.

Some of the people that Human Rights Watch interviewed have suggested that female abductees are “being used for tactical reasons, such as to lure (Nigerian) security forces to an ambush, force payment of a ransom, or for a prisoner exchange.”

The female victims have been also forced to accompany the militants to the frontline, the report said.

“I was told to hold the bullets and lie in the grass while they fought. They came to me for extra bullets as the fight continued during the day,” said a girl interviewed by the rights group, who managed to escape Boko Haram.

The report also pointed to motives behind Boko Haram’s abductions, stating that the Takfiri leaders sought to “retaliate against the government for its alleged detention of family members, including the wives of the group’s leaders.”

The rights organization’s report states that the militants kidnap Nigerian women and girls “to punish students for attending Western schools.”

Boko Haram means, “Western education is forbidden.”

In April, the militants kidnapped 276 girls in the town of Chibok, triggering worldwide outrage. Reports say 57 of the girls managed to escape later but 219 are still missing.

GMA/HSN/SS

Nusra Front Threatens killing Lebanese soldiers

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Nusra Front – Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate – threatened Sunday to kill Lebanese soldiers it captured in fighting in August unless the army halts operations against militants in Lebanon’s second city Tripoli.

The Lebanese army, meanwhile, said gunmen kidnapped a soldier from his home in the port city, the second seized in northern Lebanon since Saturday.

Al-Nusra Front, which has previously executed one captive Lebanese soldier, issued its threat after troops cleared militants from Tripoli’s historic bazaar district Saturday in an operation that left one civilian and a militant dead.

Many of the militants managed to withdraw to the Bab al-Tebbaneh district of the city, a Sunni Islamist stronghold, where troops were engaged in heavy fighting on Sunday, an AFP correspondent reported.

The army’s offensive against the militants in Wednesday – who are suspected of having links to Al-Nusra and ISIS – sparked attacks on troops across the Tripoli region that left six dead.

The Al-Qaeda affiliate initially threatened to start executing its prisoners from 0800 GMT but then issued a second statement extending the deadline to 1200 GMT.In response Lebanon army declare in a statement “Operations will continue until we eliminate the last militant, news of efforts for evacuating militants are untrue”, Lebanon National News Agency reports.

Al-Nusra and rival terrorists of the ISIS group captured some 30 Lebanese soldiers and police in fighting around the eastern town of Arsal, close to the Syrian border, in August. IS has since executed two of its captives.

Islamist gunmen in Tripoli have carried out repeated attacks against the army and Shiites citizens.The August fighting in Arsal – a Sunni enclave within the mainly Shiite Bekaa Valley border region – was the most serious in Lebanon since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011.

The army said of warrant officer Fayez al-Ammuri was abducted by gunmen who stormed his home in Bab al-Tebbaneh on Sunday morning. Ammuri is the second soldier kidnapped by gunmen at the weekend, after a comrade was captured on a highway outside Tripoli on Saturday evening.

The army said it foiled an attempt by unidentified gunmen late on Saturday to abduct five of its soldiers in the Akkar region of northern Lebanon.

According to NNA, 4 soldiers have been killed in renewed clashes with gunmen in Bhanneen. Clashes renews on Sunday in Bhannin between the Lebanese Army and the militants after two military vehicles came under fire.

Also Lebanese Army announced in a statement Sunday the death of 4 soldiers, including 2 officers, in an ambush by a terrorist group in Dhour Mohamara of Minnieh in the afternoon.

The number of soldiers hospitalized at Halba Medical Center, has risen to 9 due to the ongoing armed clashes between troops and gunmen in Bhanneen, One additional soldier received first aid at Nahr el-Bared refugee camp before being transferred to Beirut for treatment, same reporters added.

The Lebanese Armed Forces raided on Sunday residential apartments in the region of Rass Sarj in Arsal and apprehended five Syrian nationals.




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IS anger: “100 Suicide Bombers for Amriyat al-Falluja”

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 ISIS reacting to the loss of Jurf al-Sakhar with propaganda in Falluja, saying supporters “Don’t be afraid and worry what happened in Jurf al-Sakhar. The mujahideen will be back, be cheerful. We have 100 suicide bombers preparing for the battle of Amriyat al-Falluja.”

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited the southern district of Jurf al-Sakhr which has recently witnessed pitched battles between government troops alongside Shiite volunteer militiamen against the ISIS group.Jurf al-Sakhr, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Baghdad, was seized by IS last June. The Iraqi government said the area was liberated from IS extremists.

Al-Abadi during his visit on Saturday, made a rousing speech to the troops and vowed that Iraqis united would prevail over the IS militants.”By own our capabilities, we are able to liberate our territories from ISIL. All Iraqis are one hand. Coordination will continue between the al-Hashid al-Sha’abi (Popular militiamen) and Iraqi security troops as it is now.  Such coordination will continue in Babil, Baghdad, Anbar and Mosul. All Iraqis are one hand, and we will overcome terrorism.”Haider al-Abadi said:

Thousands of Iraqi Shiites answered a call from top Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in June to join security forces fighting the militants, who have captured swathes of land in the country’s west and north.

Iraqi government forces retook four villages on Sunday near a mountain ridge overlooking ISIS supply lines, security officials said, in a campaign which has struggled to make advances against the insurgents.Iraqi security forces backed by Shiite militias gained momentum on Saturday in their bid to loosen the grip of ISIS. After months of fighting they drove ISIS out of Jurf al-Sakhar, just south of Baghdad, while Kurdish fighters regained control over the town of Zumar in the north.

Insurgents have been moving fighters, weapons and supplies from western Iraq through secret desert tunnels to Jurf al-Sakhar, Iraqi officials have said. Now it appears government forces to disrupt that network.Iraqi security forces backed by Shiite militias launched an assault on Saturday on areas around the Himreen Mountains, a hotbed of militant activity 100 km (60 miles) south of the oil city of Kirkuk.

On Sunday they seized control of four villages in the area, security officials said, adding that it was very difficult to accelerate efforts to capture more territory because of roadside bombs and booby-trapped houses.”We have decided to make slow advances. We hold the ground, set up watch towers, clear the explosives and build sand barriers to prevent the armed men from returning,” army major Ahmed Nu’aman told Reuters by telephone.

The operation is designed to ISIS State fighters controlling the towns of Jalawla and Saadiya and cut off the areas they seized northeast of the city of Baquba, which is held by Iraqi security forces and Shiite militias.Government forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters have been trying for months to take over Jalawla and Saadiya, located northeast of Baghdad.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber in a truck packed with explosives killed three soldiers at an Iraqi army gathering on a highway west of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s home town of Tikrit, military sources said.Government forces and Shiite militias also attempted to advance on a village near Tikrit held by ISIS, the sources said.But they failed in the face of roadside bombs, landmines and sniper fire. Clashes raged in the area all day.

The next major security operation is expected to target the town of Falluja, located in the Sunni heartland of Anbar province, just 40 km (25 miles) from Baghdad. The Sunni insurgents have been surrounding it for weeks.Security officials said government forces are preparing to try and break the siege, security officials said.

ISIS fighters also appear to be gearing up for battle. Militants in the nearby town of Falluja, an ISIS bastion and former al Qaeda stronghold under the U.S. occupation of Iraq, used loudspeakers attached to police vehicles they captured to address supporters.

They were told to expect good news from “Amriyat al-Falluja”.”Don’t be afraid. Don’t worry about what happened in Jurf al-Sakhar. The mujahideen will be back,” was the message conveyed over loudspeakers, a witness told Reuters from Falluja.”Be cheerful. We have 100 suicide bombers preparing for the battle of Amriyat al-Falluja and we have more if the situation warrants.”

meanwhile Security source stated to IraqiNews.com “The security forces liberated 14 towns within Heet and Baghdadi districts in Anbar from the ISIL terrorists.

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Syria: Over 350 Kobane Defenders killed in 40 Days

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More than 334 Kurdish have been killed in ground fighting for Kobane since ISIS group militants attacked the Syrian Kurdish enclave on September 16, a monitoring group said Sunday.

The terrorists have lost 481 dead, while 313 Kurds have been killed fighting to defend the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.The figures do not include IS losses to US-led air strikes, which the Pentagon has claimed run to “several hundred.”

Civilians accounted for 21 of the dead. The terrorist assault prompted nearly all of the enclave’s population to flee, with some 200,000 refugees streaming over the border into neighboring Turkey.

ISIS militants tried to seize a border post in Kobani on the Turkish frontier overnight but were repulsed by Kurdish fighters, Reuters reported.

ISIS fighters have been trying to capture Kobani, known as Ayn al-Arab in Arabic, for over a month, pressing their assault despite U.S.-led air strikes on their positions and the deaths of hundreds of their fighters.

Idris Nassan, a local Kurdish official, said ISIS fighters had shelled Kobani’s border gate on Saturday night but Kurdish fighters had pushed them back in the south and west, “Of course they will try again tonight. Last night they brought new reinforcements, new supplies, and they are pushing hard,” he said.

To lose the border gate – the only official way for the Kurdish fighters in Kobani to cross into Turkey – would be a major blow to the fighters defending the town as well as the civilians who still remain.

Iraqi Kurdish “peshmerga” fighters are expected to arrive to reinforce the fighters in Kobani, who are mostly members of the Syrian Kurdish YPG armed group, but it is unclear when.

Meanwhile Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Turkish reporters aboard his presidential plane that the Syrian Kurdish party the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which has been leading the defence of Kobane, feared losing its influence in northern Syria when the peshmerga arrive and added “The PYD does not want the peshmerga to come”.

He also called the PYD a “terror” organisation, highlighting Turkey’s wary stance towards Kurdish groups demanding an autonomous Kurdish state straddling the border with Turkey.

Erdogan said last week that the peshmerga would be joined in the defence of Kobane by 1,300 fighters from the Syrian armed rebel forces called “Free Syrian Army” (FSA) who are backed by Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, US and other regional and international forces who are struggling to topple Syrian government.

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Y chromosome linked to cancer risk

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Swedish researchers have found that male Y chromosome has a potential role in preventing tumors and death risk in men.

The study shows that the men who lose the Y chromosome in their blood cells due to an age-related phenomenon have a higher risk of cancer and may have shorter life spans.

The findings may explore why the rates of certain cancers are higher in men than women, researchers say.

The study’s researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden analyzed blood samples from more than 1,150 men aged 70 to 84, who were followed for up to 40 years.

The observation revealed that men with significant Y chromosome loss in their blood cells lived an average of 5.5 years less than those who did not experience such a loss.

Study also unveiled that the men who had a significant Y chromosome loss appeared to have a much higher risk of dying from cancer, according to the research report presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, in San Diego on October 21.

Researchers believe that Y chromosome genes may enable blood cells to help immuno-surveillance, where the immune system detects and kills tumor cells.

“Many people think the Y chromosome only contains genes involved in sex determination and sperm production. In fact, these genes have other important functions, such as possibly playing a role in preventing tumors,” said the study co-author Dr. Jan Dumanski, a professor at Uppsala University in Sweden.

The findings may provide a new method of early detection of cancer risk in men through assessing the state of the Y chromosome via blood tests, suggested Lars Forsberg, the study’s lead author.

FGP/MKA/HRB

Uruguay’s election may go to run-off

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Exit polls in Uruguay’s presidential election indicate that the polls may go to a run-off, despite leftist ruling coalition candidate Tabare Vazquez having a strong lead.

The exit polls from the Sunday election showed that Vasquez may have to face center-right rival Luis Lacalle Pou in a second round vote.

Exit polls showed Vazquez receiving 44 to 46 percent of the votes against Lacalle Pou with 31 to 34 percent.

If confirmed, the run-off will be held on November 30.

Meanwhile, partial results from Sunday’s legislative elections showed Vazques’ party Broad Front could win an absolute majority in the parliament.

Vazquez, 74, is an oncologist who served as president from 2005 to 2010. He has campaigned on the platform of reducing the country’s poverty, improving education and working conditions, and expanding welfare coverage.

Pou, a 41-year-old lawyer and legislator who served as the president of the Chamber of Deputies in 2011, is considered a moderate conservative.

Incumbent President Jose Mujica, also of the Broad Front, did not run in the election, as the country’s constitution barred him from participating for a second consecutive term.

The South American country of 3.3 million has a developing economy thanks largely to Mujica’s programs. Since 2005, the country’s economy has grown an average 5.7 percent each year. The number of people living in poverty has declined sharply to 11.5 percent from more than a third in 2006.

CAH/HJL/HRB

Jordan raps Israel settlement expansion

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Jordan’s ambassador to Israel has slammed Tel Aviv over its illegal settlement expansion on Palestinian territories, warning that the move threatens Amman’s peace treaty with the Israeli regime.

The Jordanian envoy, Walid Obeidat, said Sunday that the peace treaty between the two sides would be threatened if Tel Aviv continued to build settlements on occupied Palestinian lands.

“All such acts are incompatible with international law and international humanitarian law and if allowed to continue will ultimately imperil the treaty,” said Obeidat.

In addition, the Jordanian ambassador said Amman opposed an attempt by far-right Israelis to change the status quo of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, saying Jordan is against any alterations to the mosque, which is Islam’s third holiest site.

Obeidat made the remarks while addressing an event marking the 20th anniversary of the peace treaty. The deal signed in 1994 made Jordan Israel’s second ally in the Arab world after Egypt, which had inked a treaty in 1979.

Tel Aviv faces widespread global condemnation of its land grab policies, which have been among the major reasons behind the failure of US-led talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank including East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in the 1967 war and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.

CAH/HJL/HRB

Muharram Majalis begins across cities in Nigeria

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Following by beginning of the first Majlis of Ashura mourning at the Hussainiyyah Baqiyyatullah, Zaria, Nigeria, members of the Shiite Islamic Movement in Nigeria led by His Eminence Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky across Nigeria have begun commemoration of Ashura Majalis, Tuesday, the second day of Muharram 1436 AH.

In Kaduna the gathering took place at the Markaz located at Zango area with multitude of people in attendance.

It began with songs of lamentation for Imam Hussain (as) by Shu’ara followed by drama depicting the Ashura tragedy by Youth Forum of the Islamic Movement.

In his lecture, Ameer of the Kaduna zone, Malan Mukhtar Sahabi traced the genesis of Ashura to the disregard of Ghadeer Khum declaration by the Holy Prophet on the Imamate of Ahlul Bayt (AS).

He explained that, the disregard to that declaration led to the subsequent hatred and denial of Imamate of Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain (AS), which late gave way to Ashura tragedy.

“Infact, the plot to kill Imam Hussain (AS) was hatched at Saqifah Banu Sa’’ad, when some section of Companion met and imposed a ‘Khalifah’ on the Muslim Ummah after the demise of the Holy Prophet (S)”, he added.

Malan Mukhtar Sahabi who cleared some misconceptions on Ashura tragedy, said the commemoration of the tragedy on yearly basis by followers of Ahlul Bayt despites severe opposition has made it widely accepted now.

He also used the opportunity to remind members of the obligation of supporting the construction of Hussainiyyah Baqiyyatullah Zaria, and called for donation in the approved boxes provided.

In Kano, the event took place at the Fagge Juma’at Mosque with much large crowd than last year, as the session was complemented by increased public attendance.

Shaikh Turi began by welcoming people to the new Islamic calendar and stressed the importance of being up to date with the Hijiri calendar.

He urged people to use the period in the service of Allah.

Sheikh Turi also inaugurated the donation box towards completion of construction of Hussainiyyah Baqiyyatullah, Zaria and called for sacrifices.

Guest speaker, Sheriff Shubli called on people to intensify remembrance of event of Karbala to reach every nook and corner so as to keep it alive.