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| Foreign Fighters In Syria (Source: statista.com) |
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| President Uhuru Kenyatta |
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| Al-Shabbab Militants |
Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair is calling for an urgent global agreement to teach religious respect as he warns that action against extremist groups will otherwise "count for nothing".
In an essay for the BBC, the former prime minister said the underlying causes of religious conflict must be confronted through educating young people, although he made exceptions for violent organisations such as the Islamic State.
An agreement to improve interfaith relations would address the principal cause of terrorism-related activity as leaders must “uproot the thinking of the extremists, not simply disrupt their actions,” he suggested.
Mr Blair said defeated extremist groups will simply be replaced by new ones which continue to spread extreme ideologies if the root causes are not tackled.
"Unless we begin to confront the underlying causes each time we take on a group like Isis (Islamic State) another will quickly arise to take its place," he said.
Writing in the BBC, he said the rise of extremist groups such as al-Shabaab and Boko Haram are a “perversion of faith that has been growing unchecked”.
Mr Blair said: "We need at the G20, or some other appropriate forum, as soon as we can, to raise this issue as a matter of urgent global importance and work on a common charter to be accepted by all nations, and endorsed by the UN, which makes it a common obligation to ensure that throughout our education systems, we're committed to teaching the virtue of religious respect."
After making his argument for advocating interfaith understanding and tolerance, he stated that he is not opposed to single-faith schools.
The Tony Blair Faith Foundation, which was established by the former Labour leader in 2008, aims to work against religious prejudice by influencing 12-17 year olds in 30 countries, including Pakistan, the US and Singapore.
Mr Blair has been criticised over sending troops into more wars than any other prime minister in history, with military intervention in Iraq twice, Kosovo, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan within six years.
Source:
The Independent, UK
The most wanted man in the Maghreb is operating freely in Libya and planning new terrorist attacks against Tunisia and Algeria, top experts warn.
Notorious terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, alias Laaouar, intends to unify fighters returning from the Syria front and use them to strike the Maghreb, retired Tunisian Brigadier General Mokhtar Ben Nasr recently revealed.
"Since declaring his allegiance to al-Qaeda, Mokhtar Belmokhtar has stayed in Libya where he has been recruiting Syria returnees," Ben Nasr told Algeria's Echourouk daily on June 27th.
"He is trying to impose his influence on other jihadist groups in the Arab Maghreb after Tunisia's Abou Iyadh disappeared from the scene because he was banned from making media statements by a Libyan militia," the Tunisian officer said.
Algeria's El Khabar daily cited unnamed security sources as saying that Belmokhtar met with Uqba Ibn Nafi Brigade chief Khaled Chaieb (aka Abu Sakhr) and told him to free Ansar al-Sharia fighters from Mornaguia prison near Tunis.
The newspaper, which did not specify the date or place of the meeting, said the instructions also included targeting a number of oil, tourist and security facilities and some political and security officials.
"The terrorist elements are incapable of confronting the internal security and national army forces," Tunisian Defence Minister Ghazi Jeribi said on Thursday (July 3rd) during the funeral of four national army soldiers killed on Wednesday when their vehicle hit a landmine planted by terrorists. "Their strategy is to plant landmines and not to confront the army forces."
He added: "Jebel Chaambi is under control, and a decision was made to storm the mountains between Jendouba and El Kef provinces."
Olfa Ayari, president of the Prisons and Correctional Institution Syndicate, dismissed Belmokhtar's call to his followers to attack Mornaguia prison.
"Let him come with all of his al-Qaeda elements and let them try," she told Magharebia. "They will be disappointed because this is Africa's most secured prison with its strong fortifications and highly-trained guards."
According to Ayari, Mornaguia prison is home to more than 500 terrorists.
"We're all accustomed to Belmokhtar's threats, which are basically propaganda after his status dropped among terrorist groups," security expert Sami Riahi said.
Tunisia's Al Maghreb daily also reported that Laaouar aimed to carry out terrorist operations in Tunisia, including bombings and assassinations of some officials.
Observers are not surprised by Belmokhtar's plan to target prisons, like what happened in Niger last year.
"Terrorist organisations are stepping up their efforts to free their jailed elements because this is the best way to maintain their loyalty," analyst Abdelhamid al-Ansari said.
Courtesy:
Magharebia
The US has declared that it will not allow mobile phones - especially iPhones and Samsung's Galaxy - onto US bound planes from some airports in Europe, the Middle East and Africa if the devices are not charged.
The new measure, which is bound to cause chaotic scenes at airports around the globe, is part of the US Transportation Security Administration's effort to boost surveillance amid concerns that terrorists are plotting to blow up an airliner.
As part of the increased scrutiny at certain airports, security agents may ask travelers to turn on their electronic devices at checkpoints and if they do not have power, the devices will not be allowed on planes, the TSA said.
Increased vigilance:
US intelligence officials are concerned that al-Qaida is trying to develop a new and improved bomb that could go undetected through airport security. No doubt the new measures have the potential to create frantic searches for chargers at airports and one US source familiar with the matter said laptop computers are also among the devices security screeners may also require passengers to turn on.
US officials are concerned that a cellphone, tablet, laptop or other electronic device could be used as a bomb by Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamist Nusra Front, al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria.
In 2009 a Yemen-linked bomb-maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, built an underwear bomb used in the failed effort to bring down a Detroit-bound airliner, and his devices were implicated in other plots.
The Islamist Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s affiliate involved in fighting with Syrian rebels to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, is also thought to be plotting an airliner attack, according to intelligence reports.
The TSA did not disclose which airports would be conducting the additional screening, however it was reported last week that passengers at British airports traveling to the US are facing extra checks on phones.
An official told the BBC that London's Heathrow was among the airports.
US officials singled out smartphones including iPhones made by Apple Inc and Galaxy phones made by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd for extra security checks on U.S.-bound direct flights from Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Special attention:
The TSA in the US has announced that iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones will come under strict scrutiny. US security officials said they fear bombmakers from the Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have figured out how to turn the phones into explosive devices that can avoid detection.
They also are concerned that hard-to-detect bombs could be built into shoes, said the officials, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.
A US official said that other electronic devices carried by passengers also are likely to receive more intense scrutiny and travellers may be asked to power up laptops, iPads, tablets and Kindles.
A TSA statement said: ‘As the travelling public knows, all electronic devices are screened by security officers.
‘During the security examination, officers may also ask that owners power up some devices, including cell phones.
‘Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft. The traveller may also undergo additional screening.’
Airlines or airport operators that fail to strengthen security could face bans on flights entering the United States, the officials said.
The US Homeland Security Department announced on Wednesday plans to step up security checks, but they offered few details on how airlines and airports will implement them.
US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said at the time: ‘We will work to ensure these necessary steps pose as few disruptions to travellers as possible.’
An official familiar with the matter said the United States believes that while it is possible there may be some additional delays at security checkpoints, at most major airports passengers will not be seriously inconvenienced.
The official said most passengers taking long-distance flights arrive well in advance of scheduled departures, leaving time for extra screening.
But he said the United States could not rule out disruptions in countries where airport infrastructure and security procedures are less sophisticated.
In his weekly radio phone-in programme, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg warned last week that travellers may have to get used to the extra checks.
‘I don’t think we should expect this to be a one-off temporary thing,’ he said. ‘We have to make sure the checks are there to meet the nature of the new kinds of threats.’
‘Whether it is for ever – I can’t make any predictions. But I don’t want people to think that this is just a sort of a blip for a week. This is part of an evolving and constant review about whether the checks keep up with the nature of the threats.’
US-based airlines had little to say about the enhanced security. American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said the Department of Homeland Security had been in contact with American on the issue, but declined to comment further.
Luke Punzenberger, a spokesman for United Airlines said: 'We work closely with federal officials on security matters, but we are not able to discuss the details of those efforts.'
US security agencies fear bombmakers from AQAP and the Islamist Nusra Front, al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, are collaborating on plots to attack U.S.- or Europe-bound planes with bombs concealed on foreign fighters carrying Western passports, the officials said.
AQAP has a track record of plotting such attacks. Its innovative bombmaker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, built an underwear bomb used in a failed 2009 effort to bring down a Detroit-bound airliner, and his devices were implicated in other plots.
There was no immediate indication U.S. intelligence had detected a specific plot or timeframe for any attack.
US officials say the United States has acquired evidence that Nusra and AQAP operatives have tested new bomb designs in Syria, where Nusra is one of the main Islamist groups fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.
Courtesy:
An Al-Shabab directive that all its members change their mobile phone numbers shows how tech-savvy the al-Qaeda-linked Somali Islamist group remains and how their communications strategy is key to their survival.
Concerned that their messages may be intercepted, the leadership has also banned members from using smart phones.
The group has long run what is regarded as a slick media machine.
Even without smart phones, it has been known for its sophisticated handling of social media, a reputation at odds with its regular bans on communication technology for Somali citizens.
In particular, it has made extensive use of Twitter in order to get its message across. It has also devoted considerable resources to producing a series of promotional videos.
Diaspora appeal
Al-Shabab's material aims to spread the group's ideology of establishing an Islamic state in Somalia, in line with al-Qaeda's stated ambition of setting up a global Islamic caliphate.
It wants to achieve this both by military conquest and also the conversion of souls - for which communication technology is a key tool.
Al-Shabab's well-produced video documentaries deliver the jihadi narrative in an appealing form to Somali audiences in the diaspora.
They are aimed at young people of Somali origin such as Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow, a suspect in last year's Westgate mall attack in Kenya. His family is said to have moved to Norway as refugees in 1999.
The group's documentaries are produced by its media arm, the al-Kataib foundation.
Many of them show al-Shabab engaging in charity work and other activities that depict the group as a legitimate authority.
However, they can also be quite gruesome - showing the corpses of those they have killed, including alleged spies who are often beheaded.
And they contain threats to their perceived enemies - in Somalia, neighbouring countries such as Kenya which are helping Somalia's government and the West.
The videos portray al-Shabab's fight as part of a wider global conflict in which Islam is under threat.
English and US accents
Al-Shabab also has its own radio station, Radio Andalus.
The group has acquired half a dozen relay stations, mainly by seizing private radio stations such as HornAfrik, Holy Koran Radio and the Global Broadcasting Corporation radio and their equipment - including some from the BBC.
The website Kismaayo News reported that by 2013, the group had 50 journalists working for Andalus radio.
When it comes to recruiting presenters, al-Shabab is known for its attention to detail.
It generally takes care to use presenters with British or American accents to deliver its English language audio statements.
With statements in Arabic, standard Arabic is used, and the presenters clearly have a high level of education in the language and in Islamic texts.
Swahili-language presenters use classical Kiswahili as spoken in Tanzania and coastal Kenya.
The majority of al-Shabab's audio output, though, is in Somali and is presented articulately and fluently.
Twitter frustrations
A number of pro-al-Shabab websites have emerged, which host material produced by the group and act as vehicles for furthering its military aims.
The content is intended to frustrate efforts by the Somali government and its allies - mainly the African Union forces fighting in Somalia - to eliminate the group.
Al-Shabab has often used Twitter to challenge the veracity of claims made by the African Union forces.
Its Twitter accounts are now closed, but Kenya's military spokesman Maj-Gen Chirchir has continued to attack the group's media policy.
On 20 May he tweeted: "Al Shabaab Courtesy calls! The more videos you release to scare Kenyans the more WE make visitations. Consider peace, the better option."
When the group's official spokesman, Sheikh Ali Dheere, appears on video, he is surrounded by fighters.
He reportedly answers to the group's overall leader and oversees a bevy of apparently enthusiastic journalists.
Al-Shabab has honed its media strategy as aggressively as it has enforced its bans on the Somali population.
As the group loses control of parts of the country, it has issued a series of bans on technology:
• Internet: In January 2014, the group declared a ban on using the internet through mobile handsets and fibre optic cables. It said the Muslim population "could be spied on and monitored and information on them transmitted through the internet on their phones". The group also declared that mobile internet devices had "adverse effects on the moral behaviour of the Muslim population in Somalia".
• Smart phones: In 2013 smart phones were banned by the group. Media reports said al-Shabab operatives went round intimidating anyone possessing a smart phone. Their campaign began shortly after a raid on a house in Barawe by US commandos last October. They were targeting al-Shabab commander Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulkadir, alias Ikrima. He had lived in Norway but returned after failing to get political asylum there.
• TV: In November 2013 the group's members in Barawe announced via loudspeakers that watching television was banned. They declared that it was against Islamic principles and ordered residents to hand their television sets and satellite dishes to al-Shabab officials.
The United States warned its citizens in Uganda on Thursday about a "specific threat" of an attack within hours on Entebbe International Airport, which serves the capital Kampala.
A message posted on the U.S. Embassy website said information from Uganda's police indicated that the attack could take place between 9 p.m and 11 p.m. local time, adding that citizens planning to travel at that time might consider reviewing their arrangements.
As one of the countries that contributes forces to an African Union peacekeeping mission battling the radical group Al-Shabab in Somalia, Uganda has suffered attacks in recent years, with the feared armed group threatening more.
Ignie Ugundura, a spokesman for Uganda's Civil Aviation Authority, confirmed the authority had issued an alert on Wednesday that "informed the airport community,” but did not offer more details.
A Ugandan police spokeswoman said security had been stepped up at Entebbe, but that the police were not aware of a specific threat to Uganda.
The U.S. Embassy message said it had "received information from the Uganda Police Force (UPF) that according to intelligence sources there is a specific threat to attack Entebbe International Airport by an unknown terrorist group today, July 3, between the hours of 2100-2300.”
The warning came a day after American authorities said they would require increased security at overseas airports with nonstop flights to the United States. U.S. officials cited concerns that Al-Qaeda operatives in Syria and Yemen were developing bombs that could be smuggled onto planes.
There are no nonstop flights from Uganda's Entebbe airport to the United States.
Courtesy:
Aljazeera
