India PM visit draws Kashmir anger

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Angry Kashmir residents have shut down businesses and shops in protest against a visit by India’s prime minister to the flood-stricken region.

Pro-independence activists took part in the protest on Thursday by closing their shops and businesses in the city of Srinagar, where police and paramilitary soldiers have been stationed to prevent demonstrations.

Security forces erected steel barricades along main roads. Separatist leaders were under house arrest in order to prevent any further protest activities.

On Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with aid groups and political parties to find ways to bring help to thousands of Kashmiris left homeless by a recent devastating flood.

Kashmiri residents, however, say the Indian government has failed to adequately address the natural disaster.

Over 280 people have lost their lives in the recent floods, which caused an estimated USD 17 billion in damage to homes and businesses.

Earlier in September, over 270 people died in Indian-administered Kashmir when monsoon floods inundated the Himalayan region, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan in full.

GMA/HSN/KA

Lebanon minister: Iran visit positive

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Lebanon’s defense minister has said that his recent three-day visit to the Islamic Republic came off well.

Samir Moqbel said on Thursday that he held positive negotiations with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani among other Iranian political and military officials during the visit to the Iranian capital, Tehran, last week.

The Lebanese defense minister also stated that a major objective of his visit was to discuss Iran’s proposal on the unconditional transfer of weapons to Lebanon’s armed forces with the aim of boosting the country’s defense against terror threats.

Moqbel said the visit came despite opposition by some political figures including the Progressive Socialist Party leader, Walid Jumblatt.

The Lebanese army command is considering Iran’s proposed list of arms, Moqbel said, adding that the implementation of the transfer needs the approval of the Lebanese cabinet.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham reiterated Tehran’s readiness to provide Lebanon with military assistance in its fight against Takfiri terrorism.

The Iranian official said the Lebanese army was in the frontline of the battle against terrorism.

Afkham also pointed to the failure of certain parties in fulfilling pledges of support for the Lebanese military.

She said Tehran awaits Lebanon’s response over the proposed arms transfer.

Lebanon has been rocked by the spillover of the deadly conflict in Syria, where the ISIL Takfiri terrorists are operating against the government in Damascus.

FNR/HSN/KA

US marginalized in Mideast: Iran Cmdr.

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A senior Iranian commander says the power of the United States in the Middle East has diminished while the Islamic Republic has turned into the region’s main player.

“The US has become marginalized from a major player in the region and instead the Islamic [Republic of] Iran has become this sensitive region’s most important administrator…,” Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the second-in-command of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said in the central city of Isfahan on Thursday.

Elsewhere in his comments, Salami highlighted Iran’s power in the region, saying, “Today our first strongholds have been located in Eastern Mediterranean and Iran has turned into a global hub in politics.”

Arrogant powers used all their capacities to prevent the formation of new powers that went against their interests throughout history and they applied “the most severe type of these measures” in the case of the Islamic Republic throughout the past three decades and more, the commander added.

“Today we have no fear of international powers and we have lined up our might in the face of their excessive demands,” he further pointed out.

In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

The Islamic Republic has also conducted military drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its military and to test modern military tactics and equipment.

Iran has repeatedly said that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.

SSM/HMV/KA

US to take Iraq airport as military base

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The United States reportedly plans to take control of a strategic airport in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan and use the site as a military airbase in the region.

Unnamed Kurdish officials say the evacuation of Herir Airport has started as demanded by Washington. The airport’s personnel have been ordered to clear out within weeks.

US commanders visited the territory last month to examine the airport and its surroundings, officials said.

Herir airport is located 60 kilometers from the Iranian border and overlooks Turkey and Syria.

It was a military airbase under Saddam Hussein’s regime and was used by US forces during and after the 2003 invasion of the oil-rich country.

The airport will be Washington’s only military base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region following the withdrawal of US troops in December 2011.

The United States and its allies are already using the international Erbil airport as launching ground for airstrikes against ISIL militants.

US forces have been bombing ISIL positions in Iraq since August and expanded the aerial campaign into neighboring Syria in late September.

However, US officials acknowledge that the airstrikes are not stopping ISIL advances in Iraq and Syria.

President Barack Obama has deployed about 1,600 military personnel and special operation soldiers to “assist and advise” the Iraqi military in pushing back the terrorist organization.

Top US military commanders insist they will need more US troops on the ground in Iraq in order to defeat ISIL.

HRJ/HRJ

 

Clashes in Lebanon’s Tripoli kill 4

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At least four people have lost their lives after clashes erupted between the Lebanese army and Syrian militants in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

The deadly Thursday clashes took place after the Lebanese military forces attacked an apartment in the village of Aasun in the Dinniyeh region of Tripoli, said the country’s security sources.

The operation was reportedly launched to capture a fugitive Lebanese soldier who has recently announced his defection from the army.

The Lebanese army also arrested two Takfiri militants accused of beheading captive Lebanese soldiers, the security sources added.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and the ISIL Takfiri militants overran the city of Arsal, situated 124 kilometers (77 miles) northeast of the capital, Beirut, in August, abducting more than three dozen soldiers and security forces. They have executed at least three of the hostages.

The Takfiri terrorists demand the release of a number of militants in Lebanese jails in exchange for the captive Lebanese soldiers and policemen.

Over the past months, Lebanon has been suffering from terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda-affiliated militants as well as random rocket attacks, which are viewed as a spillover of the conflict in Syria.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011 with ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently controlling parts of it mostly in the east and north.

FNR/HMV/SS

Poll: US war against ISIL not working

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A majority of Americans believe the US military campaign against the ISIL terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria is not going well, according to a new survey.

The new national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Oct. 15-20, has found that nearly 6 in 10 Americans, 59 percent, say the US-led campaign against ISIL is not working.

Moreover, only 30 percent of Americans believe the US and its allies have a “clear goal” in launching military action in Iraq and Syria.

Seventy-percent of Republicans, 54 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of independents express the opposite view.

However, Americans still support the military action, with 57 percent approving and 33 disapproving.

President Barack Obama has vowed to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the ISIL terrorist group.

US forces have been bombing ISIL positions in Iraq since August, and expanded the aerial campaign into neighboring Syria in late September.

Officials acknowledge that the airstrikes are not stopping ISIL advances in Iraq and Syria.

The Obama administration is relying on “moderate” Syrian militants and the Iraqi military to lead the ground offensive against ISIL.

As part of that strategy, the Pentagon has announced that the US military would train as many as 5,000 militants a year.
 
Obama has already deployed 1,600 military personnel and special operation soldiers to “assist and advise” the Iraqi military in pushing back the terrorist organization.

ISIL militants made swift advances in much of northern and western Iraq over the summer, after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.

HRJ/HRJ

US-led airstrikes target Syrian oil field

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The US-led coalition has reportedly launched four airstrikes on an oil field in eastern Syria.

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the airstrikes targeted oil wells in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor near the Iraqi border on Wednesday.

The United States and its allies claim the airstrikes on oil facilities aim to take out ISIL Takfiri militants’ main source of income. However, the attacks have largely destroyed the Syrian infrastructure so far.

US-led airstrikes have so far claimed the lives of 553 people, said the UK-based observatory, which is affiliated to the adversaries of the Syrian government.

According to reports, over 50 Syrian civilians are also among the fatalities.

Since September 22, the US and its allies have been conducting airstrikes against the ISIL inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The airstrikes are an extension of the US-led aerial campaign against ISIL positions in Iraq.

Washington has been supporting the militants operating against the government in Syria since March 2011. Many ISIL terrorists have reportedly received training by the CIA in Jordan and Turkey. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been also staunch supporters of militants fighting the Syrian government.

The ISIL militants have seized large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria, terrorizing all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians, in the areas they are controlling.

FNR/HMV/SS

Expert-level N-talks ‘useful’: Iran

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Head of Iran’s delegation at expert-level nuclear talks in Vienna says representatives of the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group conducted two days of useful, explicit negotiations.

Hamid Ba’eedinejad, who also serves as the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s director general for political and international affairs, said the two sides held intensive talks in the Austrian capital to find a final solutions to some topics of discussion.

The P5+1 expert-level delegation was headed by Stephen Clement, an aide to the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton.

The Iranian diplomat noted that the expert-level delegations will report on their talks to senior nuclear negotiators of Iran and the six countries – the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany.

On Wednesday, two rounds of expert-level negotiations were held on the level of uranium enrichment by Iran, the mechanism for removing sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic, the length of a final deal over Iran’s nuclear energy program and various ideas put forth during political negotiations.

The talks on Thursday were held to delve into the two side’s differences with the aim of achieving a common understanding between Tehran and the P5+1 group to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive deal.

Sources close to the Iranian negotiating team say the main stumbling block in the way of resolving the Western dispute over Iran’s nuclear energy program remains to be the removal of all the bans slapped on the Islamic Republic and not the number of centrifuges or the level of uranium enrichment.

Tehran wants the sanctions entirely lifted while Washington, under pressure from the pro-Israeli lobby, insists that at least the UN-imposed sanctions should remain in place.

MR/HSN/SS

UK Shiite Muslim Mum flying al-Abbas black flag outside home tells neighbours it’s definitely not a show of support for IS

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A MOTHER flying a black flag outside her family home in a quiet suburban street has told her neighbours: “We are not supporting Islamic State.”

Shazia Ramzan, 35, shocked her neighbours when she raised what looked like the black flag of jihad in her street.

Passers-by threatened to call the police after Prime Minister David Cameron said anyone seen with the Shahada flag should be arrested.

But mum-of-two Shazia said it was not the same banner used by the terrorist organisation – and she branded IS as “scumbags”.

She said: “We did not want to cause any grief by putting the flag up. But I’m scared that our house will be bricked.

“Islamic State are scumbags. Islam does not say what they proclaim; Islam is beautiful and a true religion when followed correctly.

“They are not Muslims. True Islam does not say anything Islamic State does.”

Shazia hoisted the Abbas flag at her semi-detached home in Newport.

The large flag honours Muslim martyr Al-Abbas with white lettering on a black background.

The flag looks similar to the one flown by jihadists – which reads “There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God”.

But Shazia and her family are Shias unlike Islamic State who are made up of militant Sunni fighters.

She added: “People see the black flags and Islamic State immediately comes into their heads.

“I just want them to know that we have nothing to do with IS.”

The Dutch government has banned the public display of the Isis flag but it is not currently illegal in the UK.

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Pakistan: 8 Shi’ite Muslims savagely shot martyred in bus attack

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QUETTA: Unidentified bastard armed men killed eight innocent Shiite Muslims, members of the ethnic Hazara community and injured six others in the Hazar Ganji area of Quetta, the capital of the volatile Balochistan province, on Thursday morning.

Imran Qureshi, a senior police officer said that the armed men opened fire at a Mazda bus and killed eight members of the Hazara community.

“The assailants sprayed bullets over the bus and managed to escape unhurt from the spot,” Qureshi said.

The bodies were brought to the Bolan Medical Complex hospital where a large number of people had gathered. Qureshi said initially six people had been killed, however, two more succumbed to injuries on way to the hospital.

“This is an act of targeted killing,” he said. Panic prevailed among locals after the killings.

The predominantly Shia community whose members stand out on account of their Central Asian features has come under increasing attacks by extremist groups such as the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ).

Estimates provided by Tahir Hussain Khan, president of the Balochistan chapter of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan(HRCP), earlier this month show that the violence has driven as many as 200,000 Hazaras to relocate to other major cities of Pakistan or move abroad.

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