Ukraine: Russian Forces On 'Full Combat Alert'

Kremlin Rejects Ukraine Ceasefire 'Ultimatum'

Updated: 10:49pm UK, Friday 20 June 2014

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has declared a week-long ceasefire in the fight against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.

But the Kremlin dismissed the move as an ultimatum, as the US said it had evidence Moscow was stockpiling tanks and artillery close to the border with its neighbour, which could be supplied to rebel fighters.

Mr Poroschenko said the declaration of a ceasefire would allow him to formally launch a peace plan for the region, which has been blighted by deadly violence.

He has said it will include amnesty for pro-Russia fighters who have not committed serious crimes, a corridor for fighters from Russia to leave the country, joint security patrols, early local and parliamentary elections, and protections for the use of the Russian language.

But he warned government forces would defend themselves if they came under attack from the rebels.

"We will do everything to defend the territory of our state," said Poroshenko during a visit to the troubled Donetsk region.

But in a statement, the Kremlin said: "This is not an invitation to peace and negotiations but an ultimatum to militias in the southeast of Ukraine to lay down their arms."

Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged Russia to support the peace plan and called on pro-Russia separatists to lay down their arms.

Against the backdrop of continuing tensions, the US said it had information of a Russian build-up of military hardware close to the frontier with Ukraine that could be provided to separatists.

Most of the equipment being stockpiled is of the type still used by Ukrainian forces, which an official said left "the impression that the desire here is to mask the Russian hand and allow the separatists to assert ... that this is material that they've captured on the battlefield from Ukrainians".

Washington also said it had evidence Russia had redeployed several thousand troops to the frontier.

The official said some of the forces were "within a handful of kilometres" of Ukrainian territory, "the closest they have been since the invasion of Crimea" earlier this year.

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen described the build-up as "a very regrettable step backwards."

But the Kremlin said the forces were simply implementing earlier orders of President Vladimir Putin's to "reinforce the protection of the Russian border".

The latest developments in the Cold War-style stand-off came as the US Treasury Department blacklisted seven Ukraine separatists, saying their activities threaten the peace and sovereignty of the country.

The West has warned Moscow of "more costs" if it does not work to de-escalate the situation.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iraq Militants Take Border Post In Bloody Battle

Faith Lost In Iraq PM Amid Political Limbo

Updated: 5:46pm UK, Friday 20 June 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor, in Baghdad

The US President, Shia politicians, Sunni chieftans and none other than the Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani has joined the clamour for Iraq's Prime Minister to move fast and form a government.

The nation has languished since elections on April 30 in a political limbo that arguably undermined faith in the central government, even among the Shia-dominated armed forces.

That might, partly, explain their rapid collapse in the face of far fewer forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) plus their allies.

But now that Iraq's supreme court has ratified the results of the elections what possible reason could Nouri al Maliki have for delay?

One explanation may simply be political.

His stewardship over previous years has entrenched sectarian divisions and seen an explosion in corruption.

His party bloc won 92 of the 328 seats in Iraq's parliament and he'll need 165 to form a coalition administration.

He, therefore, has to get involved in some serious horse trading with other Shia parties to build his coalition.

But they are now losing faith in him. Particularly in his apparent refusal to reach out to Sunni parties and offer them stakes in the central government - such as a security portfolio and a ministry which would give them access to patronage systems such as an education or public works - so that they feel both secure and that they have an investment in the future political structures.

A more conspiratorial thesis, fuelled by the conspiratorial utterances of lame duck ministers left over from the previous administration, is that Iraq's latest travails are the fault of external forces.

Jordan, Saudi Arabia (both Sunni countries), the US and others are being blamed for manipulating the Middle East and somehow creating ISIS.

There is evidence of Saudi individual, and possible state funding, for extremist militant groups in Syria, which may include ISIS.

And Jordan has played a significant role in trying to boost the fortunes of the non-extremist Free Syrian Army.

But Mr al Maliki may have calculated that he can either weather the latest storm - or let ISIS form an impoverished caliphate in the desert north of his country which would leave the Shia with Baghdad and the south.

It's the south, after all, that holds the lion's share of the world's second largest oil reserves.

It can ship its oil out through the Gulf, via Kuwait, or via Iran.

A Shia state or semi-state would not only be self-sufficient - it would be spared the burden of sharing Iraq's spoils with other sectarian groups like the Sunni and the Kurds (who already have their own autonomy and oil industry).

Such a move, or allowing events to drift to this reality, would place the south of Iraq firmly inside Iran's imperial embrace.

That is not something that Saudi Arabia would be able to tolerate in the long term as it vies with Iran for influence in the Middle East.

Nor is it anything that a rump Sunni 'caliphate' would be able to live with - the extremists within it would forever plot how to steal it back by force.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jihadi Video Brit's Father: 'Give Up Your Guns'

The father of a British student seen in an ISIS recruitment video has pleaded with him to come home.

Ahmed Muthana told Sky News he believes his son Nasser was radicalised in a mosque in the United Kingdom, but did not know which one.

He said: "The way he talks is not Nasser talking, it's someone else … He was a very soft person, he was very nice, but why he left his family I don't know. Who drove him? I don't know.

"The way he talks, the radicalism he is talking about, recruiting, asking British-born Muslims to come Syria is not Nasser's way.

"Nasser has never persuaded anybody like this before. It's the first time for me and devastating for me and my family."

The 20-year-old is seen in the video - released on social media - wearing a white turban and using the name Abu Muthanna al Yemeni.

In the film, entitled "There is no life without Jihad", he claims the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has fighters from as far afield as Cambodia, Australia and the UK.

His family, from the Cardiff area, said that he travelled to join the conflict with younger brother Aseel Muthana, 17.

Muthana is one of three apparent Britons to feature in the video, which calls for their countrymen to "answer the call and fight for Allah".

When asked if he had a message for his son, Mr Muthana said: "My message to Nasser and Asil is please come back home.

"Your home is the United Kingdom, not the Middle East."

ISIS, which has taken over large parts of Iraq in recent weeks, has launched a global campaign asking Muslims to post messages "to support the Islamic State" on social media.

The militants have used it to release videos of them parading around towns they have claimed in northern Iraq.

The Home Office said in a statement: "We do not tolerate the existence of online terrorist and extremist propaganda, which directly influences people who are vulnerable to radicalisation.

"We already work closely with the internet industry to remove terrorist material hosted in the UK or overseas."

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iraq Needs New Leaders, Senior Shia Cleric Says

Iraq's senior Shia religious authority has called for a new government for the country as it struggles to stop Sunni militants seizing controls of towns across large areas of the country.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for the newly-elected parliament to start work without delay after the results of recent elections were ratified by Iraq's federal court.

Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shia Muslim, has come under pressure since Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) insurgents took control of Mosul and began moving south towards Baghdad.

Burnt out Iraqi security force vehicles in Mosul, where ISIS have control

Ayatollah Sistani had previously called for Iraqis to join the fight against the militants.

Speaking in the shrine city of Karbala, his spokesman Abdul Mehdi al-Karbalai said the call to arms "was for all citizens, without specifying a religion".

"The goal was to get ready to face the takfiri group called ISIL, which now has the upper hand ... in what is happening in many provinces," he said, using an Arabic word that loosely translates as extremist.

USGS/NASA image of smoke billowing from the Baiji oil refinery

Sky's foreign affairs editor Sam Kiley, in Baghdad, said: "Ali al-Sistani is not only a powerful Ayatollah but he is one of the great voices in the Shia faith.

"Maliki has got to move fast and he has got to incorporate Sunnis, something the Ayatollah has said frequently over the last few months" but now "the signs are that all of the pressure is on him".

Mr Sistani's remarks came after US President Barack OBama said the Iraqi prime minister needed to take urgent steps to heal the sectarian rift, but stopped short of calling for him to go, saying: "It's not our job to choose Iraq's leaders."

"Above all, Iraqi leaders must rise above their differences and come together around a political plan for Iraq's future," he said.

Shia fighters from the Mehdi Army at a military-style training in Najaf

Mr Obama had been announcing that he would send 300 military advisers to Iraq to help the battle against the militants.

He said he was prepared to take "targeted" military action but stressed US troops, who withdrew from Iraq in 2011 after eight years, would not return to combat in the country.

US politicians have suggested that the assistance should be dependant on Mr Maliki stepping aside.

Sunni tribal chief Sheik Ali Hatem al Suleiman, the emir of the Sunni Dulaim tribe from Anbar province, said Mr Obama could no longer rely on Mr Maliki to deal with the insurgency.

US military advisers will be sent into Iraq to help Iraqi forces

"I think that most of President Obama's speech, but not all of it, was shallow and didn't address the heart of the matter," he said.

"It talked about participation, it talked about a national government, but you can't come to Iraq with a speech that doesn't address the truth of the problem.

"And the real problem in Iraq is al Maliki himself. I don't think Obama's speech addressed the reality of today's Iraq. You can't rely on him. The man has become paralysed."

Iran, meanwhile, has accused Mr Obama of lacking the "serious will" to fight terrorism after he declined to immediately meet an Iraqi request for airstrikes.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Africa 'Must Unite' To Stop Boko Haram Spread

Boko Haram Snatches Young Boys Across Border

Updated: 10:47am UK, Thursday 19 June 2014

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Cameroon

The Nigerian-born Islamic militant group Boko Haram is terrorising communities inside neighbouring Cameroon and snatching young boys from across the border and forcing them to join the sect.

We saw abandoned villages and burned-out schools inside Cameroon, despite the presence of hundreds of troops including some of the country's top soldiers from the elite rapid response unit Battalion D'Intervention Rapide (BIR).

The huge 1,243-mile (2,000km) border with Nigeria is mostly unmanned and un-policed, allowing Boko Haram to cross over and mount attacks inside Cameroon with horrifying regularity.

Soldiers from the BIR are desperately trying to stop the spread of Boko Haram in their country.

But the sect, which appears to be trying to create an Islamic fundamentalist belt across West Africa, continues to wreak terror and destruction all along the border.

Nigeria has accused Cameroon of not doing enough and has said Boko Haram fighters and leaders are using the country as a safe haven.

But the country's military leaders insist that is not the case.

Cameroon Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Badjeck told us: "They are not in Cameroon. Why would we allow that? This is bad for Cameroon.

"We are suffering, too, at the hands of Boko Haram."

He said the country may have reacted slowly to the Boko Haram threat but had reacted as soon as they realised it was growing and encroaching into Cameroon.

There are now hundreds of troops including those from the elite BIR unit, in the north.

The border lines are often difficult to decipher with no markings or obvious difference between the two countries.

In the town of Amchide, the border cuts right through the town with roughly two-thirds of the town under Nigerian control and the remaining third in Cameroon territory.

We were with the elite unit as soldiers patrolled through the town and up to a rope across the road which signalled the end of Cameroon land.

About 100 metres away, some Nigerian soldiers cheerily greeted their counterparts.

There appears to be much more cordial relations on the ground among the foot soldiers than there is between their respective political masters.

In other communities, the villagers told us how Boko Haram militants stormed in during the day, trying to snatch young boys to add to their recruits.

One young lad told us how he was approached by the militants as he worked in the fields.

They at first tried to persuade him to join them. When he refused, the situation turned ugly but somehow he managed to run away.

The eyes of the world are on Syria and Iraq at the moment as the Islamic militants there shock with their brutal attempts to wrestle control of swathes of both countries.

But according to the Cameroon military, the Islamic militants of Boko Haram are fighting a similar terror campaign in West Africa.

The sect is spreading across the northeast of its own country but also spilling over into its neighbours.

Cameroon, with its long, unchecked border, is possibly most vulnerable.

And so far, despite the attempts of even some of its top soldiers, the Boko Haram fighters, far from being defeated, appear to be growing in strength and numbers.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iraq Militants Launch Social Media Campaign

Militants who have taken control of large swathes of Iraq have launched a global online campaign urging Muslims to post messages of support for an Islamist state.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) aims to get one billion Muslims posting on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram "to support the Islamic State".

Thousands of tweets have been posted using two hashtags.

"Today after Friday prayers we will be launching with the help of God the largest media campaign in support of an Islamic state," tweeted @AL_Bttaar, one of the apparent orchestrators.

"Accordingly, we urge everyone to participate effectively, the turnout of Muslims to learn more about the Islamic state requires us to do more to support it."

An image outlining "duties" of those supporting the campaign is also in circulation.

Militants have posted images purportedly showing the massacre of soldiers

The duties include talking "about the lies that enemies try to pin on ISIS" and to "tweet the talks of Sheikh Al Baghdadi", an ISIS chief. The image also urges supporters to post translations in English.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lisa Holland said ISIS is proving as capable on the web as on the battlefield.

"ISIS are using every tool available to them, from slick videos to Facebook and Twitter - and it has generated thousands of followers," she said. 

"They are calling on Sunni Muslims to join their jihad in a direct way not seen before.

"We've seen fairly unsophisticated videos released by Al Qaeda but this is quite different. ISIS knows how to use the media both in terms of publicising their gains but also promoting their propaganda.

"They even seem to have a media hub and clearly recognise the power of the internet to aid their cause."

Isis released a video showing captured Iraq military personnel

ISIS has used social media to release videos of its fighters parading around towns they have claimed in northern Iraq.

Last week a series of horrific images of Iraqi soldiers being murdered were posted online.

Meanwhile, a Twitter user - Abu Rashash Britani - who claimed to be a British ISIS fighter and published a stream of vile tweets - has had his account suspended.

The ISIS campaign came as the US announced it was deploying 300 military advisers to help the Iraqi government combat the militants.

They will be special forces and will staff joint operations centres for intelligence sharing and planning, officials said.

ISIS militants have seized one of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons factories - the Al Muthanna complex - as their push to Baghdad continues.

The group would not be able to produce chemical weapons with the material that remains there, officials said.

Elsewhere, the Baiji oil refinery, 130 miles (200km) north of the capital near Tikrit, has been transformed into a battlefield.

Troops loyal to the Shia-led government held off the ISIS insurgents and their allies who had stormed the perimeter a day earlier, threatening national energy supplies.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Spain Receives Its Newly Crowned King Felipe VI

Felipe VI has been officially sworn in as the new king of Spain at the country's parliament.

His accession to the throne follows the abdication of his father Juan Carlos.

The retiring monarch handed over to his son at midnight, in the first royal transition in the country since the introduction of democracy with the death of dictator General Franco in 1975.

Felipe VI with his wife, Queen Letizia, and their children greet the crowds

Felipe VI was formally sworn in at a low-key ceremony in parliament on Thursday, without the usual pomp and ceremony associated with a royal coronation, in recognition of the hardship still being endured by many Spaniards.

The 46-year-old was wearing military uniform with a sash, and took an oath of loyalty to Spain's constitution before giving an address.

"I swear to carry out my duties faithfully, to conserve and ensure the conservation of the Constitution and the law and to respect the rights of the citizens and regions," said the king.

He was then honoured with a military parade before being driven through the sunny streets of central Madrid with his wife, Queen Letizia, a former journalist, along a route decorated with red and yellow flowers - the colours of Spain's flag.

Felipe's mother, Sofia, during the swearing-in ceremony

Thousands of supporters lined the streets of the capital and cheered the king as he passed by them.

The newly crowned king and the rest of the royal family greeted crowds with a brief appearance on the balcony of the Royal Palace, flanked by his parents King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia - who are keeping their titles.

Felipe VI then disappeared to host an afternoon reception at the Royal Palace with 2,000 guests from all walks of society.

His father did not attend the swearing in ceremony so as not to distract attention from the new monarch, according to the palace.

Monarchists hope Felipe becoming king will bring in a new era for the troubled royal household.

The outgoing king lost favour after going on an elephant hunting trip

He has remained untouched by a royal corruption scandal, in which his brother-in-law is charged with embezzling millions of euros of public funds in a case that shocked the public.

The outgoing king, credited with helping the country's transition to democracy, also lost favour after going on a secret elephant hunting trip at the height of Spain's recession.

Although polls show the decision to hand over to Felipe has boosted the popularity of the royals, nearly two thirds now also support the idea of a referendum on whether Spain should continue to be a constitutional monarchy.

Security forces are taking no chances and police have carried out house-to-house searches along the route King Felipe will be driven, with 7,000 police and 120 snipers out on the streets.

A Republican rally has been refused authorisation by the Madrid authorities.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boko Haram Threat Spreads Into Cameroon

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Cameroon

The Nigerian-born Islamic militant group Boko Haram is terrorising communities inside neighbouring Cameroon and snatching young boys from across the border and forcing them to join the sect.

We saw abandoned villages and burned-out schools inside Cameroon, despite the presence of hundreds of troops including some of the country's top soldiers from the elite rapid response unit Battalion D'Intervention Rapide (BIR).

The huge 1,243-mile (2,000km) border with Nigeria is mostly unmanned and un-policed, allowing Boko Haram to cross over and mount attacks inside Cameroon with horrifying regularity.

Soldiers from the BIR are desperately trying to stop the spread of Boko Haram in their country.

But the sect, which appears to be trying to create an Islamic fundamentalist belt across West Africa, continues to wreak terror and destruction all along the border.

Nigeria has accused Cameroon of not doing enough and has said Boko Haram fighters and leaders are using the country as a safe haven.

But the country's military leaders insist that is not the case.

Cameroon Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Badjeck told us: "They are not in Cameroon. Why would we allow that? This is bad for Cameroon.

"We are suffering, too, at the hands of Boko Haram."

Cameroon has put elite troops on the border

He said the country may have reacted slowly to the Boko Haram threat but had reacted as soon as they realised it was growing and encroaching into Cameroon.

There are now hundreds of troops including those from the elite BIR unit, in the north.

The border lines are often difficult to decipher with no markings or obvious difference between the two countries.

In the town of Amchide, the border cuts right through the town with roughly two-thirds of the town under Nigerian control and the remaining third in Cameroon territory.

We were with the elite unit as soldiers patrolled through the town and up to a rope across the road which signalled the end of Cameroon land.

About 100 metres away, some Nigerian soldiers cheerily greeted their counterparts.

Alex Crawford is with the elite Cameroon unit BIR as it fights extremists

There appears to be much more cordial relations on the ground among the foot soldiers than there is between their respective political masters.

In other communities, the villagers told us how Boko Haram militants stormed in during the day, trying to snatch young boys to add to their recruits.

One young lad told us how he was approached by the militants as he worked in the fields.

They at first tried to persuade him to join them. When he refused, the situation turned ugly but somehow he managed to run away.

The eyes of the world are on Syria and Iraq at the moment as the Islamic militants there shock with their brutal attempts to wrestle control of swathes of both countries.

But according to the Cameroon military, the Islamic militants of Boko Haram are fighting a similar terror campaign in West Africa.

The sect is spreading across the northeast of its own country but also spilling over into its neighbours.

Cameroon, with its long, unchecked border, is possibly most vulnerable.

And so far, despite the attempts of even some of its top soldiers, the Boko Haram fighters, far from being defeated, appear to be growing in strength and numbers.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

British ISIS Militants 'Will Target UK'

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 2:12pm UK, Tuesday 17 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kurds Lead Fightback Against ISIS Militants

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 2:12pm UK, Tuesday 17 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

British Girl, Five, Drowns In Cyprus Hotel Pool

A five-year-old British girl has drowned in a hotel swimming pool in Cyprus during a family holiday.

The youngster died on Monday afternoon at the Evalena Hotel in Protaras, on the southeastern coast of the island.

The child had arrived in Cyprus on Sunday for a week's holiday with her mother, grandparents and other relatives, according to the Famagusta Gazette.

Adam Kirk, a spokesman for Famagusta Police, said: "At about 4.15pm on Monday afternoon a five-year-old girl from England was found drowned in the pool of a hotel in Protaras.

"A tourist saw the child in the bottom of the pool. He dived in and took her out but it was already too late.

"It seems that the parents had not seen the child. She was in the bottom of the pool for around five minutes."

He added that officers would be examining CCTV footage of the pool.

A post-mortem examination at Larnaca General Hospital on Tuesday confirmed the cause of death was drowning.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Cyprus on June 16 and are providing consular assistance at this sad time".

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM Warns Iraq Terrorists Will 'Hit UK At Home'

Timeline: How The Iraq Crisis Unfolded

Updated: 2:12pm UK, Tuesday 17 June 2014

A look back at the main events in the Iraq crisis, which has seen Sunni insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group move to within 50 miles of the capital Baghdad.

December 2011: US troops complete their withdrawal after the 2003 invasion which led to the removal of Saddam Hussein.

August 2013: More than 70 people are killed in attacks at the end of Ramadan. ISIS claim responsibility.

January 2-4, 2014: ISIS declares itself in control of the western city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi following clashes sparked by the clearing of a Sunni-Arab protest camp.

February: al Qaeda formally disowns ISIS, which was at one time an affiliate, because of its extreme methods.

April: Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki wins the most seats in a general election.

June 10: ISIS seizes all of Nineveh province in the north, including the capital Mosul - Iraq's second city. Mr Maliki asks parliament to declare a state of emergency.

June 11: The militants launch a wave of attacks further south, taking Tikrit and freeing hundreds of prisoners in Baiji. An assault on Samarra, 70 miles (110km) north of Baghdad, is repelled by security forces.

June 12: Iraq's air force strikes fighters' positions near Mosul and Tikrit.

US President Barack Obama says he is looking at "all the options" to help the government, which fails to secure authorisation for a state of emergency.

The army abandons its bases in Kirkuk, leaving Kurdish Peshmerga troops to take control.

June 13: A top Shia cleric issues a call to arms, telling the population to take up arms and defend their country.

Mr Maliki claims government forces have started to clear cities of "terrorists" and implements an emergency plan to protect Baghdad.

President Obama rules out sending back troops to fight ISIS.

The rebels move into the towns of Saadiyah and Jalawla in eastern province of Diyala.

June 14: Iran offers to work with the US to tackle the crisis, as Britain pledges an initial £3m in emergency aid to help refugees fleeing the violence.

The Iraqi army's fightback continues, with forces retaking the towns of Ishaqi, al-Mutasim and Duluiyah in Salaheddin province.

Troops also regain much of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's home town.

US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush is ordered to the Persian Gulf.

June 15: Photos emerge appearing to show an ISIS massacre of 1,700 captured government soldiers. Baghdad says number is exaggerated.

Reports say militants have overrun Tal Afar, the largest town in Nineveh province.

A bombing in central Baghdad leaves 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Former PM Tony Blair tells Sky News that critics who believe the violence is the result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

June 16: Video footage purporting to show an ISIS fighter questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers draws condemnation.

ISIS takes control of Tal Afar and the al Adhim area of Diyala province.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says Washington is "open to discussions with Iran".

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gunmen 'Kill 15' In Second Kenya Attack

Islamist gunmen have killed at least 15 people in a night-time raid on Kenya's coast just 24 hours after an attack left at least 50 dead, police have said.

Somalia-based militant group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility, claiming it had killed as many as 20 people.

Police spokespeople said the militants attacked the villages of Majembeni and Poromoko in Lamu County at about 1am local time.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku said: "These attacks are unfortunate and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

"We condemn yesterday's killings and the latest attack today where about 15 other people were killed and houses burnt."

Majembeni and Mpeketoni are in Lamu County, Kenya, close to Somalia

The area is close to Mpeketoni, on the coast between Mombasa and the Somali border, where the extremists murdered dozens of people in a raid on Sunday night.

It is thought that the two attacks were carried out by the same group.

Al Shabaab military operations spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab threatened the onslaught would continue and said: "We raided villages around Mpeketoni again last night. Our operations in Kenya will continue."

The official government figure for the number killed in Sunday night's attack was 48, but Sky sources in the area counted 50 bodies.

A group of gunmen entered Mpeketoni on minibuses and started "shooting people around in town", a spokesman for the interior ministry said.

People watching a World Cup game were among those targeted, and three hotels, a bank and a petrol station were also hit.

Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked group which carried out an attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi last year, said the first attack was a revenge for attacks inside Somalia by Kenyan forces. Foreign tourists were warned to stay out of Kenya.

Lamu had previously been popular with foreign visitors, but tourism has been suffering in recent years because of increasing violence.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fleeing ISIS: Iraqis Tell Of Loss And Tragedy

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent

Dozens of Iraqi families who escaped the fighting in Mosul have made their way to a newly-built refugee camp in the northern area of Dohuk.

They are homeless and have nowhere to go.

"Ahmed" was an officer in the Iraqi police force. We've had to change his name because he's afraid he will be targeted again by ISIS militants.

He had just got to the camp with his family when we met him.

He showed us pictures he says he took of his home after ISIS bombed it.

What was once a seven-bedroom villa is now a pile of rubble.

Ahmed took his nine-month pregnant wife and children and came to the Dohuk camp.

It took them 12 hours and now they say they are afraid and on the run.

"People were so scared in Mosul when I left," said Ahmed.

"There was no electricity, no food and we heard explosions. The Islamist fighters were everywhere in the town.

"They wore black masks and were armed. You couldn't speak or reason with them or they'd just kill you."

These are considered the lucky ones as they have a roof over their heads

Many more people are pouring into the camp, bringing with them stories of loss and tragedy.

Hundreds of thousands have recently fled the areas now under the control of ISIS and their allies.

Some are in camps, but even more went further into towns close to the border.

The town of Al Qosh near the Syrian border with Iraq has taken in hundreds in the past week.

This ancient Christian community is now opening its doors to Iraqis of different religions. It is providing a safe haven for those seeking protection.

We came across a school that has been turned into a shelter for 30 families who came from Mosul.

Mattresses line the floors, there are flies everywhere.

Umm Younis says she came here with her children because she heard it was safe. It's been a week now and it's been tough.

"Life is unbearable. There's no water, no medicine, no clean place. It's crowded and cramped. If anyone catches a disease then everyone gets it," she told us.

One of the hardest things for these people is that they don't know when or even if they'll be able to go back home.

All the women in the school share one bathroom and the water only comes on every other day.

One of the biggest problems is food, there are only two cookers here to service over 140 people.

And these are considered the lucky ones because they have a roof over their heads and a garden for the children to play.

But in another few weeks this school will re-open and the little they have will be taken away.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iraq: Footage Of Militant-Held Mosul Emerges

Footage from inside one of the first cities to be seized by Islamist militants in Iraq appears to show men queueing to join the fighters' offensive.

Shot by the French news channel BFMTV, the video shows burnt-out vehicles littering the streets of Mosul, which fell to insurgents led by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The black flag of the terrorist group is seen, as are militants wielding guns.

One of the burnt-out vehicles in Mosul. Pic: BFMTV

Chanting residents in the central square appear to be welcoming the fighters.

ISIS has seized large parts of northern Iraq in the past week, and their latest target overnight was Baquba, less than 40 miles from the capital, Baghdad.

Fighters took control of parts of the city before being repelled by security forces, police said.

The packed central square in Mosul. Pic: BFMTV

Officials said 44 people died in the fighting.

In response to the crisis, US President Barack Obama announced on Monday that up to 275 troops could be sent to Iraq to provide security for US personnel and the US Embassy in Baghdad.

Some 170 of the soldiers have already arrived in the Iraqi capital, with the remainder on standby in case they are needed, a US official said.

Mr Obama told Congress in a letter forces had been sent "for the purpose of protecting US citizens and property, if necessary, and is equipped for combat".

He added: "This force will remain in Iraq until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed."

The White House is also considering sending special forces to train and advise Iraqi troops.

Security in Baghdad has been stepped up

One official said up to 100 special forces soldiers could be sent.

As the US and arch-enemy Iran discussed the crisis on the sidelines of nuclear talks, it was reported that the commander of Tehran's elite Quds Force, General Ghasem Soleimani, was in Iraq on Monday to discuss how to halt the insurgents' gains.

While the US and Iran have ruled out military co-operation, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the two nations have a shared interest in ensuring militants do not have a "foothold any more in Iraq".

Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has vowed to recapture territory lost to ISIS, and government forces have retaken a number of towns and cities during its fightback.

Security forces patrol near the borders between Karbala and Anbar provinces

The army has stalled ISIS's advance in Samarra, which has been the subject of numerous assaults by fighters.

However, insurgents have captured Tal Afar after a dawn raid, along with the al Adhim area in Diyala province, north of Baghdad.

An Iraqi army helicopter was also shot down near the city of Fallujah.

Footage has emerged which purports to show ISIS insurgents questioning and killing unarmed Iraqi soldiers.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kenya Islamists 'Kill 50' As Hotels Set On Fire

Suspected Islamist insurgents in Kenya have raided a police station and set on fire at least three hotels and a petrol station, reportedly killing at least 50 people.

The group of gunmen entered the western coastal town of Mpeketoni and started "shooting people around in town", the interior ministry said.

The assault began at around 8pm on Sunday, with gunshots reported up to four hours later.

Cafes and bars were reported to have been busy with people watching the World Cup on television.

The gunmen entered the town in three vehicles. Pic: Dihoff Mukotu/eNCA

District deputy commissioner Benson Maisori said: "There were around 50 attackers, heavily armed in three vehicles, and they were flying the Shabaab flag.

"They were shouting in Somali and shouting 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Greatest)."

Area police chief Hamaton Mwaliko said: "Attackers hijacked a van from Witu town which they used for the attacks. They raided Mpeketoni police station first and opened fire."

A representative for Sky News has counted 50 bodies at the morgue and said authorities are now combing the surrounding areas to look for more victims.

A police station was among the buildings attacked. Pic: Dihoff Mukotu/eNCA

Kenyan army spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said the "assailants (were) likely to be al Shabaab", Somalia's al Qaeda-linked insurgents.

However, no group has claimed responsibility.

Kenya has seen a drop in tourists in recent months following a string of gun and grenade attacks blamed on al Shabaab, Somalia's al Qaeda-linked insurgents, or its sympathisers.

Mpeketoni lies on the mainland some 20 miles (30km) southwest of Lamu island, a popular tourist destination and Unesco World Heritage site.

Nairobi's Gikomba Market was the scene of a deadly bomb attack in May

Al Shabaab, which has fought a bloody seven-year campaign to impose its interpretation of Islamic law inside Somalia, has said it wants to take revenge for Kenya's deployment of troops in the Horn of Africa nation.

In May, explosions in Nairobi and Mombasa followed a decision by Britain, the US, France and Australia to issue warnings about travel to the east African country.

At least 400 tourists cut short their holidays and left hotels along the Indian Ocean coast.

Kenya called the alerts "unfriendly", saying they would increase panic and play into the hands of those behind the gun and grenade assaults.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iraq: On The Front Line In The Conflict

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent, in Kirkuk

Along dusty roads, past huge but now abandoned Iraqi military bases, a Kurdish military convoy makes its way to the front line on the western edge of the city of Kirkuk.

Unlike the Iraqi army they did not flee as ISIS gunmen rampaged their way through this part of northern Iraq, previously considered a stronghold of Baghdad's army.

Hundreds of Peshmerga soldiers man a mud berm. The ISIS fighters are a short distance away on the other side and there is regular contact between the two sides.

Bullets whistle overhead as Kurd fighters look for targets and any sign of movement by the Islamists.

The soldiers say that ISIS are holed up in Sunni villages about 800m away and for the past few days have attacked the Kurdish positions, sometimes from trucks mounted with heavy weapons and sometimes with mortars.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces took control of Kirkuk as Iraqi troops fled

The Kurds just want to contain ISIS and keep them from entering Kirkuk once again.

ISIS are now heavily armed after looting the Iraqi army stores and here, as with much of Iraq, they are digging in and consolidating their positions.

Getting them out is going to prove very difficult.

The Kurdish commanders are staggered at the collapse of the Iraqi army but doubt that ISIS can get into Baghdad.

Sheltering from the blistering sun, Brigadier Sideeq Heerani told me he believes that someone gave the orders for the Iraqi Army to withdraw rather than defend their positions.

Kirkuk lies outside the Kurds semi-autonomous region

"There is a hand behind this. Someone is responsible and should be brought to justice, it makes no sense," he says wiping sweat from his eyes.

On the questions of Baghdad falling to ISIS he shakes his head and smiles.

"You think America would let this happen, Iran would let this happen?" he says.

He is probably correct in his analysis, but the microcosm of the Kurdish containment of ISIS in specific northern areas is not a working plan for huge swathes of the rest of Iraq.

Kirkuk was briefly terrorised by ISIS, but is now under the control of the Kurds and life has returned to normal.

The Kurds are trying to contain ISIS around Kirkuk

In his heavily guarded offices, city governor Dr Najmaddin Karim is warning that ISIS will consolidate, introduce Sharia law and fundamentally change the lives of all citizens living in the areas they now control.

He believes that there needs to be an international response and it has to move quickly.

"ISIS are joining forces with former Baath party members and are growing," he says.

"There needs to be a response and it needs to be in Iraq and in Syria where these people have come from. Tony Blair is right this needs to be coordinated action," he says, promising Kurdish support.

While the government in Baghdad, the United States, Iran and a host of other countries consider how to respond to a problem that flowed here from Syria, but was exacerbated by internal rivalries and politics, the fact is that the Kurds are now the only northern resistance to ISIS and its brutal take over.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Captured Iraqi Troops Made To Chant ISIS Slogan

Footage has emerged which appears to show an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighter questioning and killing Iraqi soldiers.

It comes after the insurgents, who have seized large swathes of territory in the past week, released graphic pictures claiming to show some of the 1,700 Shia soldiers they had shot dead near Tikrit.

According to a translation of the first clip, militants order their prisoners to chant the ISIS slogan "Baqiya", which is thought to mean "(ISIS) will remain in existence" or "Islamic state will stay".

When asked where the government forces are, a soldiers replies they have left.

The soldiers appear to be taunted before being killed

The fighters then threaten to chop off one of the soldiers' heads.

The earlier images posted online showed the Sunni insurgents loading captives on to flatbed trucks, forcing them to lie face-down in a ditch with their arms tied behind their backs before they were shot dead.

Chief Iraqi military spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassim al Moussawi, confirmed the authenticity of the pictures and said he was aware of cases of mass murder of captured soldiers in areas held by ISIS.

Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for the US State Department, said: "The claim by ISIS that it has massacred 1,700 Iraqi Shia air force recruits in Tikrit is horrifying and a true depiction of the bloodlust that these terrorists represent.

Two of the soldiers ISIS apparently captured

"While we cannot confirm these reports, one of the primary goals of ISIL is to set fear into the hearts of all Iraqis and drive sectarian division among its people."

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the reports were "deeply disturbing" and added those responsible must be brought to justice.

Sky's Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall said the release of the images means the militants have now "got the attention of the world".

"It will encourage public opinion (in the US) that something has to be done," he said.

Militants have posted images purportedly showing the massacre of soldiers

Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has vowed to recapture territory seized by the insurgents last week. 

But in the latest fighting, residents of the northern town of Tal Afar, near the Syrian border, said ISIS had taken control after a dawn raid.

Iraqi security forces have claimed to have killed 279 "terrorists" in the last 24 hours.

Mr Maliki said: "We will march and liberate every inch they defaced, from the country's northernmost point to the southernmost point."

Security in Baghdad has been tightened after the militants said they would march south to the capital.

However, Ms Psaki said the US would evacuate some of its staff and boost security at its embassy - located in Baghdad's Green Zone - due to the "ongoing instability".

Three explosions in the capital have left at least 15 people dead and dozens injured.

Peshmerga soldiers on patrol in northern Iraq

The US is reportedly preparing to stage direct talks with arch-enemy Iran, set to begin next week, over the situation in Iraq. The White House, while declining to comment on the report, did not deny it.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has spoken with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, about the crisis. However, the Foreign Office declined to disclose the contents of the telephone call.

Aircraft carrier the USS George HW Bush has arrived in the Persian Gulf as President Barack Obama considers possible military action against ISIS.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Blair Denies Iraq Violence Result Of 2003 War

Tony Blair has said critics who believe the violence in Iraq today is a result of the 2003 invasion are "profoundly mistaken".

Speaking to Sky News' Dermot Murnaghan, he said the West's inability to get tough with Syria's Bashar al Assad and failure in Libya had allowed terrorism and chaos to spread across the Middle East.

And he said had he still been an MP he would have voted for military action against Mr Assad in Syria last year, when Labour leader Ed Miliband made the case against intervention.

The former Prime Minister said if the UK had not acted to get rid of Saddam Hussein 11 years ago the country would have been in a worst state than Syria now.

He said Britain had to "get involved" to end the crisis in the Middle East but he was not suggesting a "full-scale intervention" with troops on the ground like in 2003.

Mr Blair, who is now Middle East peace envoy, argued there was no way Britain could stay out of Syria because "ultimately, extremist groups also intend to target us".

He said security services in the UK, Germany and France now all say the greatest risk to those countries is jihadist fighters returning from Syria.

"Inaction over Syria" is also to blame, says Mr Blair

He said: "Some people will say 'well if we hadn't removed Saddam in 2003 we wouldn't have the problem today in Iraq and the reason I think that is profoundly mistaken is this: since 2011 there have been these Arab revolutions sweeping across the whole of the region - Tunisa, Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Bahrain, nextdoor to Iraq in Syria - and we can see what would have happened if we left Saddam there in 2003.

"We have left Bashar Assad in Syria. The result is that there have now in the last three years in Syria been virtually the same number of people killed in Syria as in the whole of Iraq. You have had nine million people displace from Syria, you have chaos and instability being pushed across the region."

He suggested the West may have to accept that  Mr Assad would have to stay but that an agreement would have to be reached and a new constitution and "inclusive government" formed.

Iran's president Rouhani has said he would consider working with the US

He also cautioned working with Iran after the president Hassan Rouhani offered to co-operate with the US to tackle the Iraq insurgency. 

Former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott said he disagreed with Mr Blair and accused him of wanting to wage some kind of Medieval crusade in the Middle East.

He said in 2003 Mr Blair had insisted the invasion was not about regime change but pointed out that in his interview on Sky News, Mr Blair admitted it had been. 

He also cautioned against the use of drones as an alternative way of intervening because the public would not accept the case for troops on the ground.

Former Labour International Development Secretary Clare Short said Mr Blair was "wrong, wrong, wrong" on the issue and accused him of being a "complete American neocon".

She said further intervention was not the answer telling the Murnaghan programme: "Who are you going to bomb? Remember Northern Ireland. When there is an uprising backed by some of the people, if you bomb you kill some of the people and make the people more angry and strengthen the forces of opposition."

In Iraq, the defence ministry said its forces are having some air strike successes against fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) who have made dramatic gains in the Sunni heartlands north of Baghdad after overrunning Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel Blames Hamas For Kidnapping Teenagers

Israel has blamed Hamas militants for the abduction of three teenagers in the occupied West Bank, as it detained dozens of Palestinians in connection with the search.

"Those who carried out the kidnapping of our youngsters are Hamas people," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet.

He added there would be "serious consequences".

The trio, one of whom is understood to be a US citizen, are students at a Yeshiva, or religious school, in Gush Etzion, a Jewish settlement bloc.

From left to right: Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach

They are 16-year-olds Naftali Frankel, from Nof Ayalon, and Gilad Shaar, from Telman, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach, from Elad.

Local media reports suggest they left school on Thursday and were last seen hitch-hiking outside the settlement, which is just south of the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

There has been no public claim of responsibility.

An Israeli soldier stands guard in the West Bank city of Hebron

When asked about Mr Netanyahu's comments, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri stopped short of issuing a clear denial or confirmation the group, which runs the Gaza Strip, was involved.

Troops, helicopters and drones have been deployed across the West Bank in an effort to find them.

Checkpoints have been set up on roads throughout the southern West Bank, in particular around the city of Hebron and the surrounding area.

Palestinians argue with Israeli soldiers in Hebron

Israeli soldiers are believed to have carried out raids in the nearby villages of Dura, al-Samu, Tarqumia, and Beit Kahil.

Approximately 80 Palestinians were detained overnight by the Israeli military.

Palestinian officials say a total of more than 100 people have now been taken into custody, including at least seven Hamas members of the Palestinian parliament and several prisoners recently released by Israel.

Diplomatic sources have told Sky News they have received solid assurances that the security and intelligence forces of the Palestinian Authority are working closely with their Israeli counterparts to establish the whereabouts of the missing teenagers.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Many Dead And Hurt In Baghdad Bombing

A bombing in central Baghdad has killed at least nine people and injured 23, according to security and medical officials.

According to an interior ministry official the attack was a roadside bomb, while a police colonel said that was then followed by a suicide bombing.

Police said the suicide blast was carried out by an attacker wearing an explosive vest near Tahrir Square in the centre of the Iraqi capital.

An eyewitness told AP the explosion happened outside a shop selling military fatigues.

The government is currently battling a Sunni militant-led insurgency that threatens to split the country along ethnic lines.

Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have seized many towns and cities north of Baghdad, although the militants' advance has seemed to slow in recent days.

Government forces have regained some territory in counter-attacks, easing pressure on the Shi'ite-led administration.

More follows...

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More