Gazette 100814

Wednesday October 8th 2014

Kobane: IS and Syria Kurds in fierce gun battles

Kurdish fighters are engaged in fierce gun battles with Islamic State (IS) in the Syrian border town of Kobane, as US-led coalition air strikes continue.

A BBC correspondent near the fighting says dozens of weapons are firing, with regular grenade explosions.
In its latest report, the US Central Command said six air strikes had destroyed IS weaponry around Kobane.
The UN envoy for Syria has urged the international community to act now to prevent IS from seizing the key town.
Staffan de Mistura told the BBC that the fall of Kobane would be "a massacre and a humanitarian tragedy".
Seizing the entire town would give the IS jihadists full control of a long stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border, which has been a primary route for foreign fighters getting into Syria, as well as allowing IS to traffic oil from oilfields it has captured.
Three weeks of fighting over Kobane has cost the lives of 400 people, and forced more than 160,000 Syrians to flee across the border to Turkey.

Baghdad officials say ISIS downs Iraqi military helicopter

Militants with Islamic State group on Wednesday shot down an Iraqi military attack helicopter, killing the two pilots on board in the second such incident in a week and raising concerns about the extremists' ability to attack aircraft amid ongoing U.S.-led airstrikes.
According to two Iraqi officials, the extremists used a shoulder-fired missile to take down the Bell 407 helicopter, which crashed just north of the refinery town of Beiji, located about 130 miles north of Baghdad.

The pilot and co-pilot were both killed in the attack, a military aviation official told The Associated Press. A Defense Ministry official confirmed the information. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
This is the second Iraqi military helicopter shot down by the Islamic State group over Beiji in one week. Militants shot down an Mi-35 helicopter near Beiji on Friday, also killing the pilot and co-pilot in that attack.
The two incidents highlight the Islamic State group's ability to counter air operations, potentially putting at risk U.S.-led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. Some fear the militants may have captured some sophisticated weapons, such as ground-to-air missiles capable of shooting down airplanes when they overran abandoned Iraqi army bases this summer.

Turkey's Refusal To Help Besieged Kurds Fight ISIS Is Backfiring

ISTANBUL -- Kobani, a Kurdish town in northern Syria just a stone’s throw from the Turkish border, wasn't widely known until recently. But now, with the Islamic State poised to overthrow the besieged town, Kobani has become a rallying point for all Kurds.
Members of Turkey's Kurdish minority are alleging that the Turkish government is tacitly supporting the Islamic State, the militant group also known as ISIS or ISIL. This week, tensions reached a boiling point as pro-Kurdish demonstrators took to the streets to protest the government's inaction in the face of the possible fall of Kobani.
As of Tuesday evening, at least nine people had been killed in demonstrations protesting the Islamic State and the Turkish government, Reuters reported. The protests, organized in part by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, occurred across Turkey and in several international cities on Monday and Tuesday. Turkey imposed a curfew in five provinces on Tuesday, including Diyarbakir, the country's largest Kurdish city.
Related:
Kurds clash with police in Turkey as protesters demand tougher action against Isis – video

Turkey Kurds: Kobane protests leave 14 dead

Syria admits it has four more chemical weapons plants, says UN official

The disclosure heightens fears Damascus has not been open about its programme and that extremist groups could seize lethal chemicals 

Syria has declared four chemical weapons facilities it hadn't mentioned before, a special representative of the UN secretary-general told the Security Council on Tuesday.

The revelation heightened concerns that the Syrian government has not been fully open about its chemical weapons program.

UN's @SigridKaag said 4 facilities identified that regime failed to declare. Must keep pressure on regime so it doesn't hide CW capability.

— Samantha Power (@AmbassadorPower) October 7, 2014

Diplomats said Sigrid Kaag, the special envoy overseeing destruction of Syria's chemical stockpiles, told them during closed consultations that three of the facilities are for research and development and one is for production, and that no new chemical agents have been associated with the four sites.

Kashmir: Civilians flee as border clashes continue

Hundreds of villagers are fleeing their homes in Indian-administered Kashmir as Indian and Pakistani troops continue to exchange fire in some of the worst violence in the region in a decade.

At least 16 people have been killed since violence began last Friday - nine of them Pakistani and seven Indian.
Both sides have accused each other of starting the hostilities.
A ceasefire agreed in 2003 remains in place, but the neighbours often accuse each other of violating it.
The latest round of hostilities come just months after India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to his inauguration.
But relations have deteriorated since then.
In August, India cancelled talks with Pakistan after accusing it of interfering in its internal affairs.
And last month, Mr Modi, in his first speech at the UN, said he wanted peace talks with Pakistan but insisted it must create an "appropriate atmosphere".

Boko Haram reportedly beheads 7 in revenge attacks

Boko Haram, the extremist Islamic group, reportedly beheaded seven people Monday in Nigeria in revenge attacks, which were described by one resident as the way butchers "slaughter goats."
The gruesome killings appear to be in direct response to recent resistance from villagers and the country's military, AFP reported. These locals have joined forces with the government in a push to defeat the terror group and appear to be scoring a few victories. About 15 fighters for Boko Haram died in the past few weeks, The Christian Post reported.

The victims were found in the rural town of Ngamdu and were not immediately identified.
Last week, the group published a video that showed a charred plane and the beheading of a man identified as a pilot for the Nigerian Air Force.
The video also allegedly features Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, a man Nigeria's military twice has claimed to kill -- first in 2009 and again last year. Two weeks ago the military said they had killed a Shekau lookalike who had posed in the group's videos.
"Here I am, alive, and I will remain alive until the day Allah takes away my breath," the man says in the Hausa language. "Even if you kill me ... it will not stop us imposing Islamic rule ... We are still in our Islamic State, reigning and teaching the Koran."
The United States still has a $7 million bounty on Shekau's head.

Sierra Leone burial crews reportedly on strike, leaving Ebola victims in the street

Burial teams in Sierra Leone reportedly went on strike over lack of hazard pay this week, leaving the bodies of victims of the Ebola outbreak in the country's streets.
The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation first reported the strike Wednesday. Sidie Yahya Tunis, a spokesman for the country's health ministry, described the situation to The Associated Press as "very embarrassing" and insisted that money was available to pay the crews. He promised to provide more information later Wednesday.

Speaking on a radio breakfast program Wednesday, deputy health minister Madina Rahman said the strike had been "resolved," though organizers could not immediately be reached to confirm it was over.
Rahman said the dispute centered on a one-week backlog for hazard pay that had been deposited in the bank but was not given to burial teams on time.
"The health ministry is going to investigate the delay in the health workers not receiving their money," Rahman said.
Tunis said the burial teams make up a total of 600 workers organized in groups of 12.

Earthquake hits south-west China

Houses collapse and people in Yunnan province camping in streets as quake of at least magnitude 6.0 triggers aftershocks

 

A strong earthquake has shaken south-west China, killing at least one person, damaging buildings and prompting thousands to camp outside as aftershocks continued to strike the area, officials have said.
The earthquake with a magnitude of at least 6.0 hit the Weiyuan city area of Yunnan province at 9.49pm on Tuesday when most residents would have been in their homes. At least 324 people were injured, eight of them seriously, the Yunnan provincial government said.
“The whole building was shaking terribly with a loud cracking sound. Plates fell off in the kitchen,” the official state Xinhua News Agency quoted Weiyuan resident Li Anqin as saying. “We all ran out and the streets now are packed with people.”
The US Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 6.0 at a shallow depth of 6.3 miles (10.1km), while China’s national earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude as 6.6 at a depth of 3.1 miles. It said the quake was followed by eight aftershocks, the strongest of which registered at magnitude 4.2.
The Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, ordered an “all-out effort” to rescue quake victims, ensure the delivery of food, water and other supplies, and fix disruptions to transportation and communications.
Worst hit was the town of Yongping, three miles from the epicentre, where some houses collapsed, Xinhua said. Yongping has a population of 54,000, while the surrounding county of Jinggu closest to the epicentre has a population of 290,000.

London Terror Suspects Arrested By Metropolitan Police

LONDON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - British anti-terrorism police arrested four men in London on Tuesday as part of an investigation into Islamist-related militancy, the police said in a statement.

The four men, all in their early 20s, were taken into custody after raids at properties across the city. Armed police were present at one of the raids, but no shots were fired, police said.

"These arrests and searches are part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist related terrorism," the statement said. "A number of residential addresses and vehicles are being searched by specialist officers in west and central London as part of the investigation."

No further details were available.

British police arrested 11 people last month in other Islamist-related operations. It was not immediately clear if the various investigations were connected.

In August, Britain raised its international threat level to the second-highest classification of "severe," meaning an attack was considered highly likely. British Prime Minister David Cameron has said Islamic State militants battling for territory in Syria and Iraq also posed a grave security risk to Britain.

France quarrels with EU over economic policy

Paris attempts to talk European Commission out of using new powers to reject the French budget 

France’s economic woes were laid bare on Tuesday as it insisted it would refuse spending cuts demanded by the EU, just as a row emerged over economic reforms which would allow shops to open on Sundays.

The European Commission is reportedly threatening to use new powers to reject France’s 2015 budget for missing deficit-reduction targets. It would be the first use of the commission’s authority to police national budgets, granted last year to allow it to forestall a repeat of the eurozone debt crisis.

However, President Hollande’s finance minister, Michel Sapin, asserted that the commission "cannot reject the French budget or any other budget."

He argued that the deep cuts which the EU wants to force on France would only worsen the country's prolonged economic slump and record unemployment.

"Thankfully, in our democracies, the only place where we adopt, we reject, we censure, are the parliaments of the countries concerned," he told RTL radio. 
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Canada's parliament approves anti-Islamic State air strikes

The Canadian parliament has voted to authorise the country's armed forces to join US-led air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq.

The vote allows air strikes for up to six months, but rules out the use of ground troops.
Canada will provide up to six CF-18 fighter planes, as well as surveillance and refuelling aircraft and about 600 personnel.
Canada is one of a number of countries joining the US-led campaign against IS.
The vote passed by 157 votes to 134 to back Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the issue.
"If left unchecked this terrorist organisation will grow and grow quickly. They have already voiced their local and international terrorist intentions and identified Canada as a potential target," said Mr Harper, a Conservative.
Canada has more than two dozen military advisers already in Iraq, but Mr Harper has ruled out any ground troops being deployed there.
Canadian air strikes on any targets in Syria are at present not envisaged until they have the full support of the beleaguered government in Damascus.
The Canadian announcement comes just days after a similar pledge from Australia to join the US-led coalition.
There has also been support from several European countries - including the UK, France and the Netherlands - and some Gulf states including Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Despite the opposition from some political parties, opinion polls suggest Canadians broadly support a limited combat role for Canada - with one showing 64% of people backing such a plan.

Panetta: Obama needs to 'develop the will to get into the ring and fight' ISIS

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly Tuesday there is no question the Obama administration’s decision to not maintain a presence in Iraq was a mistake, and President Obama needs to “develop the will to get into the ring and fight” against the Islamic State. 
Panetta, who served in the Obama administration for four years, said on “The O’Reilly Factor” that he, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the director of the CIA made a “very strong case” for keeping at least 10,000 troops in Iraq at the end of the war.

Panetta, who was promoting his new book “Worthy Fights,” said Obama agreed with their assessment but ultimately wasn’t willing to push the Iraqis on the issue.
“I think the president did support providing that 10,000 troop presence in Iraq and supported CIA operations, supported the diplomatic operations that we wanted to continue,” he said. “The real issue was how hard did he fight to make it happen. That’s the issue that I raised.”
Panetta said he believes Obama is on the right track now with the airstrikes against the Islamic State, but he disagrees with the choice to not deploy ground troops in Iraq and Syria.
“Frankly it’s not going to work to do air attacks without people on the ground who know where the targets are and what’s going on,” he said. “Now if we have people we can trust on the ground that’s fine, but if the military thinks that we ought to have the special forces, boots on the ground to do what’s right I think that the president ought to be open to that kind of recommendation. ”
Panetta claimed that while Obama has the “guts” to make the right foreign policy decisions, he sometimes fails to pull the trigger. He said that needs to change in order for the U.S. to defeat the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL.

President Obama Slams The Press: 'All It Does Is Feed Cynicism'

President Obama took another stab at the media on Tuesday, blaming it for spreading negativity and focusing too much on "phony scandals" rather than on the progress of the United States.
Speaking at the Democratic National Committee in New York City on Tuesday, Obama argued that the press was counteracting his mission and spreading "cynicism."
"The issues I’m fighting for, the issues that I will continue to fight for even after I leave this office, those issues are at stake," he said. "And we’ve got to be willing to fight for them. We’ve got to feel a sense of urgency about this at a time when, frankly, the press and Washington, all it does is feed cynicism.”
Obama presented the audience with several optimistic facts regarding U.S. health care and the economy, before taking yet another dig at the press.
“Most of you don’t know the statistics I just gave you," he continued. "And the reason you don’t know them is because they elicit hope. They’re good news. They shouldn’t be controversial. And that’s not what we hear about. We hear about phony scandals, and we hear about the latest shiny object, and we hear about how Washington will never work.”
Obama's comments come just three days after New York Times reporter James Risen, who is currently being targeted by the White House to testify against one of his sources, accused the president of hating the press and threatening press freedom.
But Obama's verbal attack on the media Tuesday does not come as any big surprise. Last year, the president said that the media wrongly "tries to divide them and splinter" the American people. He has been increasingly critical of much of the foreign policy coverage in recent months, particularly as it relates to reporting on the crisis in both Ukraine and Syria. The Obama administration has been called one of the most secretive and least transparent administrations in history, with journalists calling it "significantly worse than previous administrations."

US seeks maximum sentence in case of radio-control plane threat to Harvard

Prosecutors urge five-year prison term for El Mehdi Semlali Fathi, who was recorded discussing attaching bombs to remote plane

Prosecutors are urging a federal judge to impose a five-year prison term on a Connecticut man recorded discussing attacks on a federal building and Harvard University with a radio-controlled plane fitted with explosives.
The Connecticut Post reports that assistant US attorney Krishna Patel is seeking the maximum sentence for perjury against El Mehdi Semlali Fathi, a Moroccan national who lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut, until his arrest in April.
Fathi pleaded guilty to perjury, which stemmed from lying to a US immigration judge while seeking refuge in America and claiming he was persecuted in Morocco for his political beliefs.
Fathi’s lawyer, public defender Paul Thomas, has asked Hall to impose a prison term of 15 to 21 months at sentencing on 20 October.
The FBI says it recorded Fathi discussing the attacks and training.

Congressman: ‘At least 10 ISIS fighters’ caught trying to cross into US

A Republican congressman claimed Tuesday that "at least 10" Islamic State "fighters" have been caught trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas. 
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., said he learned the information from Border Patrol sources, warning that the alleged attempts to cross into the U.S. raise serious security concerns. 

"ISIS is coming across the southern border," he told Fox News. "They aren't flying B1 bombers bombing American cities, but they are going to be bombing American cities coming across from Mexico." 
Hunter continued: "I know that at least 10 ISIS fighters have been caught coming across the Mexican border in Texas." 
He claimed Border Patrol "caught them," but "you know there's going to be dozens more that did not get caught by the Border Patrol." 
Obama administration officials have downplayed the threat of Islamic State militants infiltrating the U.S. through the southern border, as warnings about that possibility have circulated. 
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, in an interview with Fox News last week, acknowledged reports that four men with suspected terror ties had been apprehended at the southern border in Texas and questioned. But Johnson said they were "scrutinized very, very carefully" and officials found "no evidence that these individuals were tied to terrorism."
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