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Iraq: We don’t need foreign troops to fight ISIL

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Iraqi PM’s comment comes after US defence secretary says extra troops will assist forces in fight against ISIL.

iraq-isis

by Al Jazeera

Iraq has said that any deployment of foreign troops on its soil cannot happen without approval of its government.

The Iraqi prime minister’s comments came in response to the earlier announcement by Ashton Carter, US defence secretary, that the US will deploy “specialised” troops to Iraq to help fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

“We do not need foreign ground combat forces on Iraqi land,” Haider al-Abbadi said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The Iraqi government stresses that any military operation or the deployment of any foreign forces – special or not – in any place in Iraq cannot happen without its approval and coordination and full respect of Iraqi sovereignty.”

Speaking to the House Armed Services Committee, the Pentagon chief had said a “specialised expeditionary targeting force” was being deployed to help Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

“In full coordination with the government of Iraq, we’re deploying a specialised expeditionary targeting force to assist Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces and to put even more pressure on ISIL,” Carter said on Tuesday.

“American special operators bring a unique suite of capabilities that make them force multipliers. They will help us garner valuable ground intelligence, further enhance our air campaign and, above all, enable local forces that can regain and then hold territory occupied by ISIL.”

Carter said the special forces would also be able to intervene in Syria, where the US has already announced it is sending about 50 special operations troops.

Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington DC, said that the number of additional troops to be sent is still unknown.

“We don’t know yet how many forces are going to be deployed,” she said. “The Iraqi government wants US troops to be helping with the effort and move ISIL off its territory.

“In Syria, the US president has approved a plan to send in special forces, but is doing so without the consent of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and that’s something that has angered Assad since the coalition launched air strikes more than a year ago.”

Carter’s comments come as the British parliament prepares to debate whether the Royal Air Force should start bombing in Syria.

Extra planes could be sent to Cyprus if MPs vote on whether to extend British military intervention against ISIL.

If successfully passed by the MPs on Wednesday, British fighter jets will be allowed to extend their campaign against ISIL fighters in Iraq to neighbouring Syria, where the group has its headquarters in the city of Raqqa.

David Cameron, UK prime minister, called for military intervention in ISIL-held areas of Syria after the group’s attacks in Paris on November 13, which left 130 people dead.

Erdogan challenges Putin to prove ISIL oil claim

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Turkish president ready to quit if Russian leader can provide evidence Turkey downed warplane to protect oil supplies.

erdogan

by Al Jazeera

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, has said he would be ready to quit office if allegations by his Russian counterpart that Turkey traded oil with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group were proved.

Erdogan’s comments on Monday came after Vladimir Putin accused Turkey of shooting down the Russian Su-24 warplane last week to protect supplies of oil from ISIL to Turkey.

Turkey has already rejected the accusation.

“I will say something very strong here,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency on the sidelines of the UN climate talks near Paris, which Putin is also attending.

“If such a thing is proven, the nobility of our nation would require that I would not stay in office.”

Challenging Putin, who has refused to meet Erdogan after the November 24 incident in Yamadi, in Syria’s Latakia province, Erdogan said: “And I tell Mr Putin: Would you stay in that office? I say this clearly.”

In the interview, Erdogan said: “Let’s remain patient and let’s not act emotionally.”

He maintained that Turkey obtained all its oil and gas imports “through the legal path”.

“We are not dishonest so as to do this kind of exchange with terrorist groups,” he said.

“Everyone needs to know this.”

After the Su-24  was downed by Turkish F-16 fighter jets for alleged violation of Turkish airspace, Putin accused the Turks of being “accomplices of terrorists” and said oil from ISIL territory was being exported through Turkey.

Turkey’s president warns Russia not to ‘play with fire’

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Erdogan condemns reports that Turkish businessmen were detained in Russia as animosity between Cold War rivals grows.

erdogan

by Al Jazeera

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Russia not to “play with fire” after reports emerged that Turkish businessmen had been detained in Russia.

Moscow said it would suspend visa-free travel with Turkey, and its tourism agency head announced on Friday it will ask more than 9,000 Russians currently in Turkey to return home by the end of December.

Relations between the former Cold War antagonists are at their lowest in recent memory after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border on Tuesday. The pilot was machine-gunned dead by rebels on the ground in Syria as he parachuted down.

Russia has threatened economic retaliation – a response Erdogan has dismissed as emotional and indecorous.

“It is playing with fire to go as far as mistreating our citizens who have gone to Russia,” Erdogan told supporters during a speech in Bayburt in northeast Turkey on Friday.

“We really attach a lot of importance to our relations with Russia … We don’t want these relations to suffer harm in any way.”

Erdogan said he wants to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a climate summit in Paris that starts on Monday. Putin has so far refused to talk to Erdogan because Ankara has not yet apologised for the downing of the jet, a Putin aide said.

Erdogan has said Turkey deserves the apology because its airspace was violated.

The nearly five-year-old Syrian civil war has been complicated by Russian air strikes in defence of President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey and regional powers have accused Russia of targeting moderate armed groups fighting Assad.

The frayed relations could also impact two major planned projects – a TurkStream gas pipeline and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant – between the two countries.

Turkey and Russia have also sparred over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  (ISIL) group, with each side accusing the other of being soft on “terrorism”.

ISIL claims responsibility for Bangladesh mosque attack

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Two suspects arrested after gunmen storm mosque and open fire on praying worshipers, killing one and wounding three.

A man wounded in an attack on a Shia mosque is carried for treatment in Bogra district on Thursday [AP]

A man wounded in an attack on a Shia mosque is carried for treatment in Bogra district on Thursday [AP]

by Saif Khalid, Al Jazeera

ISIL claimed responsibility after gunmen killed one Shia Muslim and wounded three others at a mosque in Bangladesh, a US monitoring website said Friday, the second assault targeting the religious minority in a month.

However, a Bangladeshi official denied that Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was operating in the South Asian nation of 160 million people.

Three masked attackers entered the Imam Khomeini mosque in Haripur village and began shooting indiscriminately before escaping, witnesses told Al Jazeera. At least 20 people were performing evening prayers at the time on Thursday.

Two suspects were arrested in connection with the attack in Bogra district, 125 kilometres northest of the capital Dhaka, according to local media reports.

The US-based intelligence group SITE, which monitors the commications of armed groups, said ISIL had taken responsibility online for the mosque assault.

But Muntasirul Islam, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said he doubted the veracity of ISIL’s statements, adding past claims by the group could not be corroborated.

“We have spoken to the media before, categorically denying ISIL’s claims in the past. Investigating agencies did not find any relations with the murder of bloggers and foreign nationals to outside terrorist organisations,” Islam told Al Jazeera.

Seventy-year-old Moazzem Hossain – the mosque’s muezzin, the man who calls Muslims for prayer – died shortly after being admitted to a local hospital.

ISIL has claimed responsibility for the murder of two foreign nationals in recent months, as well as the grisly killings of several bloggers.

On October 24, ISIL claimed responsibility for a series of blasts targeting Shia Muslims in Dhaka during a religious procession, killing one person.

But Islam told Al Jazeera local armed groups were behind past attacks, not ISIL. “They use the name of Islamic of State [of Iraq and the Levant] to attract media attention,” he said.

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said those carrying out attacks are not real Muslims.

“Killing people during prayers at mosques is not a job done by a true Muslim … nor is suicide a job of a true Muslim,” she was quoted as saying.

Amid rising threat to foreign nationals, Australia on Friday asked its citizens to voluntarily leave Bangladesh, adding that it will withdraw government-funded volunteers by December 31.

Additional reporting by Mahmud Hossain Opu

Seventy-year-old Moazzem Hossain - the mosque's muezzin - died shortly after being admitted to a local hospital [The Associated Press]

Seventy-year-old Moazzem Hossain – the mosque’s muezzin – died shortly after being admitted to a local hospital [The Associated Press]

ISIL claims deadly attack in Egypt’s Sinai

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Suicide car bombing targets hotel, killing seven people including two judges, in latest violence to hit peninsula.

ISIL claimed responsibility for the October 31 crash of the Russian passenger jet in Sinai [Reuters]

ISIL claimed responsibility for the October 31 crash of the Russian passenger jet in Sinai [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

A suicide car bombing claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targeted a hotel in Egypt’s northern Sinai region, killing at least seven people, including two judges, according to the state MENA news agency.

The attack on the Swiss Inn hotel in the coastal city of El Arish on Tuesday was the latest violence to hit the troubled peninsula, where Egyptian troops are struggling to put down ISIL.

The attack was quickly claimed by ISIL’s affiliate based in the Sinai Peninsula.

The attack came a day after Egypt held the second round of parliamentary elections. Judges who supervised the vote in Sinai were staying in the heavily guarded hotel.

MENA’s report said four policemen and a civilian were also among the seven killed, and that at least 10 people were wounded. The agency cited an unnamed security official.

 

The attack began as Egyptian troops and policemen guarding the Swiss Inn hotel opened fire on a suspicious, explosives-laden car approaching the building, blowing it up before it reached the hotel, the military said.

In the meantime, two armed men slipped inside the hotel.

One detonated an explosives vest in the hotel’s kitchen, while the second opened fire in a hotel room.

The military said all armed men involved in the attack were killed, but gave no other details.

The Sinai branch of ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on social media accounts.

It said the attack was carried out by two fighters: the suicide car bomber and an armed man, who is alleged to have opened fire inside the hotel before blowing himself up.

The group also posted pictures of the two attackers and identified them as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer and Abu Wadhaa al-Muhajer.

Russian plane crash

Sinai was also shaken last month when a Russian passenger airliner crashed in the north of the peninsula, killing all 224 people on board.

Russia has said an explosive device placed on board the Airbus 321-200 was to blame for the October 31 crash, which took place 23 minutes after takeoff from the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh in southern Sinai.

The local ISIL branch claimed responsibility for the crash and posted a photo purportedly showing the bomb used to down the plane.

The crash led Russia to suspend all flights to and from Egypt, while Britain suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheikh.

The suspensions have dealt a severe blow to Egypt’s vital tourism industry, deepening the country’s economic woes.

Russia suspends military cooperation with Turkey

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NATO urges de-escalation of tensions after Turkey angers Russia by shooting down warplane near Syria border.

The Russian warplane was shot down by Turkish air-to-air missile near the Syria border on Tuesday [Reuters]

The Russian warplane was shot down by Turkish air-to-air missile near the Syria border on Tuesday [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Russia’s defence ministry has announced suspension of military cooperation with Turkey and Sergey Lavrov, foreign minister, has cancelled a planned trip to Turkey following the downing of a Russian warplane near the Turkey-Syria border on Tuesday.

The Russian Sukhoi Su-24 warplane was shot down for allegedly violating Turkish airspace, angering Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who compared the incident to being “stabbed in the back”.

Russia also warned its citizens not to travel to Turkey, saying it was unsafe, and deployed a warship to the coastline near where the plane crashed.

The plane crashed in Syrian territory in Latakia’s Yamadi village.

One of the two Russian pilots who ejected from the jet was picked up by the Syrian army and is being taken to Russia’s base there, Russia’s ambassador to France said on Wednesday.

Alexandre Orlov told Europe 1 radio: “One on board was wounded when he parachuted down and killed in a savage way on the ground by the jihadists in the area.

“The other managed to escape and, according to the latest information, has been picked up by the Syrian army and should be going back to the Russian air force base.”

A Russian helicopter was also shot at on Tuesday as it took part in the search for the two pilots near the Turkish-Syrian border, opposition groups in Syria said.

Turkey, Russia and their respective allies have entered a war of words after the incident, raising tensions in a region struggling to cope with the ongoing Syrian conflict.

Putin sharply criticised Turkey for establishing contact with NATO to discuss the incident, prior to contacting Russia.

“Today’s loss is linked to a stab in the back delivered to us by accomplices of terrorists. I cannot qualify what happened today as anything else,” Putin said in televised comments.

“Our plane was shot down over the territory of Syria by an air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16 jet. It fell in Syrian territory four kilometres from the border with Turkey. Our pilots and our plane did not in any way threaten Turkey.

“Instead of immediately establishing contacts with us, as far as we know Turkey turned to its NATO partners to discuss this incident – as if we had hit their plane and not the other way around,” he said.

Russia has been carrying out air strikes in Syria since September, saying it is targeting ISIL and al-Nusra Front.

The Syrian opposition and Western powers, however, say the Russian strikes have mainly targeted rebel groups fighting the Syrian government – an ally of Russia.

Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey’s prime minister, said Turkey had a duty to act against anyone violating its borders.

“Everyone must know that it is our international right and national duty to take any measure against whoever violates our air or land borders,” he said in Ankara.

“Turkey will not hesitate to take all steps to protect the country’s security.”

While NATO called for the two nations to show restraint, Jens Stoltenberg, the alliance secretary-general, said: “We stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally.”

The US also backed Turkey’s right to defend its territory.

President Barack Obama said while the US did not have enough information to form conclusions about the incident, similar confrontations could be avoided if Russia stopped attacking “moderate” Syrian rebels who are battling forces loyal to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

“This points to an ongoing problem with the Russian operations in the sense that they are operating very close to a Turkish border and they are going after moderate opposition that are supported by not only Turkey but a wide range of countries,” Obama said.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government backed its key ally Russia, with a military official telling the state SANA news agency that by shooting down the Russian plane, Turkey had committed “a gross violation of Syrian sovereignty”.

“The desperate acts of aggression will only increase our determination to continue the war against the terrorist organisations with the support and help of Syria’s friends, mainly Russia,” the official said.

A major point of contention is whether the Russian jet crossed into Turkish airspace, with the two nations releasing their own satellite images showing conflicting views of the jet’s final flight path.

A Turkish military statement said the plane violated Turkish airspace in Hatay province and was warned “10 times in five minutes” before being shot down at 9:24am local time.

A US official told Al Jazeera that the penetration of Turkish airspace by the Russian jet lasted “only a matter of seconds” as it crossed a roughly 3km wide section of Turkey that took only 20 seconds to traverse.

Russia, however, vehemently denied that its plane ever crossed into Turkish airspace.

The alleged airspace violation by the Russian warplane, according to Turkish authorities.

US coalition strikes in Syria ‘killed 250 civilians’

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CENTCOM says it takes the allegations “seriously” after monitoring group details toll of anti-ISIl campaign so far.

File photo of an air strike by the US-led coalition seen from a hilltop outside Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border [Vadim Ghirda/AP]

File photo of an air strike by the US-led coalition seen from a hilltop outside Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border [Vadim Ghirda/AP]

by Diana Al Rifai, Al Jazeera

At least 3,952 people have been killed in the US-led coalition’s campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Syria, according to a monitoring group.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Monday the death toll included a total of 250 civilians.

The air strikes occurred in the period between September 2014 and November 23, 2015, SOHR said.

The US announced the formation of the coalition against ISIL in Syria and Iraq in September 2014 which then included 28 countries. It now includes 65 countries.

Among those killed were 66 children below the age of eight, and 44 children above the age of 18.

At least 3,547 ISIL fighters were killed in air strikes on Hama, Aleppo, Homs, Hasaka, Raqqa and Deir Az Zor.

The air strikes also killed 136 al-Nusra Front fighters.

CENTCOM response

The US Combined Joint Task Force’s Public Affairs desk told Al Jazeera the US Central Command (CENTCOM) takes all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and applies standards in its targeting process to avoid or to minimise civilian casualties.

“We take all allegations of civilian casualties seriously, and we apply very rigorous standards in our targeting process to avoid or to minimise civilian casualties in the first place,” a CENTCOM media officer said.

“We take great care – from analysis of available intelligence to selection of the appropriate weapon to meet mission requirements – in order to minimise the risk of collateral damage, particularly any potential harm to non-combatants.

“One completed investigation into two allegations surrounding a November 5, 2014, air strike in Harim City, Syria was released May 21 and found, based on the preponderance of evidence, that two non-combatant children were likely killed from a US air strike.

“We receive and review all allegations of civilian casualties no matter the source of the information,” they said.

When asked about ISIL casualties, CENTCOM said it does not release the number of ISIL fighters killed.

“As of November 13, the coalition has damaged or destroyed 16,075 targets.”

The coalition is also involved in providing military support to their partners in Syria and Iraq, in addition to humanitarian assistance to those affected by the conflict.

Russian warplane shot down near Turkey-Syria border

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Warplane crashes in village in Latakia province in Syria and two pilots seen ejecting from the aircraft.

The alleged violation by the Russian warplane according to Turkish authorities

The alleged violation by the Russian warplane according to Turkish authorities

by Al Jazeera

Turkey says it has shot down a Russian-made warplane on the Syrian border for violating Turkish airspace.

Two Turkish officials told Al Jazeera the plane was shot down on Tuesday by the Turkish military according to the rules of engagement.

Reports said the plane crashed in Syrian territory in Latakia’s Yamadi village.

A Turkish military statement said the plane violated Turkish airspace in Hatay province and was warned “10 times in five minutes”.

“Our two F-16 planes on air patrol duty intervened … on November 24, 2015, 9:24am, according to the rules of engagement,” the statement said.

Rebel forces have told Al Jazeera that bodies of both pilots have been recovered. It is also reported that Russian helicopters were searching for the pilots close to the Turkish-Syrian border.

The Turkish president’s office identified the warplane as Russian-made and said it was warned before being shot down, according to the semi-official Anadolu agency.

The Russian defence ministry acknowledged that an Su-24 fighter jet crashed in Syria as a result of fire from the ground.

The ministry was quoted by TASS Russian News Agency as saying: “A probe is in progress into the circumstances of the Russian plane crash.”

It said the plane had stayed within Syrian airspace and that “objective monitoring data confirm this”.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman called the downing of the warplane a “very serious incident”, but said it was too early to draw conclusions.

Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Gaziantep, said the fighter jet was shot down near the mountains of Antakya.

“What we know so far is that a plane was shot down on Syria’s border with Turkey, near the mountains of Antakya, which is a scene of a lot of violence of late.

“Witnesses saw two pilots ejecting from the plane.”

Turkey’s Dogan news agency said witnesses reported that the warplane crashed over tents built in Yamadi village and that the pilots bailed out with the help of parachutes.

Ahmed Davutoglu, Turkey’s prime minister, has ordered the foreign ministry to consult NATO, the UN and related countries on the developments, his office said in a statement on Tuesday.

Last month, Davutoglu said Russia had described its warplane’s violation of Turkey’s airspace as a “mistake”.

A Russian aircraft had entered Turkish airspace near the Syrian border, prompting Turkey to scramble two F-16 jets to intercept it and summon Russia’s ambassador in protest.

“The Turkish armed forces are clearly instructed. Even if it is a flying bird it will be intercepted,” Davutoglu had said.

He warned Turkey’s enemies and allies not to infringe on its airspace but he dismissed the notion of tensions with Russia.

Earthquake recorded in northwest Pakistan near Afghan border

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earthquake-afghanistan

by Digby Lidstone, Reuters

Chitral: An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 was recorded on Sunday in northwest Pakistan, according to the United States Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the quake, which struck 83 km (50 miles) north-northwest of the city of Chitral, in a sparsely populated area close to the border with Afghanistan.

Malian special forces storm luxury hotel under attack

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Commandos enter Radisson Blu Hotel with hostage situation under way in the capital Bamako.

People run for cover from the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako on Friday [Reuters]

People run for cover from the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako on Friday [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Special forces stormed a five-star hotel in the capital Bamako after gunmen attacked on Friday and took 170 people hostage.

“Right now there is action by Malian forces … in order to solve this crisis,” France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.

So far 80 hostages have been released with commandos going floor to floor inside the Radisson Blu Hotel, Mali’s state broadcaster reported.

“The attackers are still inside. We’re hearing gunfire from time to time,” a witness outside the Radisson told Reuters news agency.

Attackers shouting “Allahu Akbar” earlier opened fire outside the luxury hotel in the centre of the capital before storming it.

Speaking to Al Jazeera by phone from Bamako, business owner Garba Konate said a group of attackers showed up about 0700 GMT.

Reports said they drove up in vehicles bearing diplomatic licence plates, thereby gaining easy access.

“About 10 gunmen arrived early in the morning and shot all the guards in front of the Radisson,” Konate said.

Another witness said he helped a wounded guard to safety.

“I started hearing gunshots coming from the hotel,” said Ibrahim, 28, who works at a cultural centre 40 metres away.

“Soon after I saw one of the guards running out, injured… The security guard told me the shooters were so quick that he doesn’t even know how many came in,” he told Al Jazeera.

Automatic weapon fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel where security forces set up a security cordon.

Witnesses said several hostages were released by the attackers after reciting verses from the Quran.

Idrissa Sangare, a local journalist at the scene, told Al Jazeera that Malian special forces, French troops and UN soldiers were working together in front of the hotel.

“We don’t know who carried out the attack because the operation is still going on,” Sangare said. “We’re hearing sporadic gunfire. There are a lot of injured people inside the hotel, I’m being told – more than 40 people.”

UN officials were holding a function at the hotel, he reported.

Malian security forces evacuate two women from the area surrounding the Radisson Blu hotel on Friday [Habibou Kouyate/AFP]

Sangare said he saw more than a dozen hostages exiting the Radisson in groups of two and three.

About 20 Indian nationals were inside, India’s foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said in a tweet.

Seven Chinese nationals were being held, state news agency Xinhua reported. Six Turkish Airlines staff were also among those captured and three managed to escape, a Turkish government official told Reuters.

French nationals were also among those in the siege, a source in France’s president’s office told Reuters.

Air France tweeted that 12 crew members who were inside escaped and were safe.

The hotel’s owner said it was “aware of the hostage-taking that is ongoing at the property today … As per our information, two persons have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees,” the company said in a statement.

Both the US and French embassies told their citizens to take cover and stay indoors.

The shooting follows a 24-hour siege of hostage-takers at another hotel in August in the central Malian town of Sevare.

Four soldiers, five UN workers and four attackers were killed in that attack.

Armed groups have continued to wage attacks in Mali despite a June peace deal between former Tuareg rebels in the north of the country and rival pro-government armed groups.

Northern Mali fell in March-April 2012 to al-Qaeda-linked groups long concentrated in the area, before being removed by a French-led military operation launched in January 2013.

Despite the peace deal, large swathes of Mali remain beyond the control of government and foreign forces.

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