Hindustan Times
written by Staff
Thursday July 3, 2014
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed ‘Caliph’ of the unofficial ‘Islamic State’ has said that India was among many countries in the world where the rights of the Muslims were seized, and has urged all Muslims to fight for their rightful place and dignity.
The leader of the extremist group that seized much of northern Iraq and Syria called on Muslims worldwide on Tuesday to join the battle and help build an Islamic state in the newly conquered territory.
Baghdadi, in a chilling 20-minute audio released late on Tuesday, said that Muslims’ rights were being violated in India, China, Palestine, Somalia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Caucasus, Sham (the Levant), the Philippines, Ahvaz, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Morocco. The inclusion of India in ISIS targets has raised fears about Indians trapped in Iraqi cities controlled by the Islamist group.
Meanwhile, Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki offered a general amnesty Wednesday in a rare conciliatory move to undercut support for militants whose offensive has overrun swathes of territory and threatens to tear Iraq apart.
The offer comes after a farcical opening to the new parliament, despite international leaders urging Iraq’s fractious politicians to unite to help combat insurgents, as the military struggles to seize the initiative on the ground.
Another 9/11?
Counter terror chiefs fear that Baghdadi, the self-styled leader of the jihadist group ISIS, will soon launch a terror attack similar to the 9/11 strikes of al Qaeda.
According to reports, ISIS jihadists across Iraq are alleged to have plans to attack airliners, making Jordan its prime target since the country shares good relations with the West, reports the Mirror. Arab security forces believed Baghdadi had instructed his inner circle to launch the attacks, said Western sources.
According to sources, ISIS will expand its attacks beyond Iraq and Syria whereby a missile attack or a device smuggling by suicide bomber on a plane is expected.
In a tape posted by ISIS on the militant website, Baghdadi has appealed to the jihadists and Muslims with practical skills to expand attacks beyond Syria and Iraq in the holy month of Ramzan. In Iraq, Sunnis and Kurds have abandoned the parliament without a decision on replacement of Maliki. The US, UN, Iran and Iraq’s own Shia clergy are in favour of an inclusive government.
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Hindustan Times
written by Staff
Wednesday July 2, 2014
In a revelation that is sure to raise worries in India's security establishment, the first-ever audio message of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the ISIS, has confirmed suspicions that Indians could well be part of his organisation's ranks.
While enumerating the nationalities of fighters who constitute ISIS, Al-Baghdadi's 20-second-long audio titled 'A message to the Mujahideen and the Muslim Ummah in the month of Ramadan' that was released on Tuesday mentions that Indians, among a host of other nationalities including Chinese, American, French, German, Australian, etc. figure in the ISIS squad.
According to intelligence sources, on January 22, a Tamil Nadu-born person had left for Syria to fight alongside the Islamic fundamentalists. In 2013, the same person had trained with the Chechen jihadis and had recruited two Chennai college students for Jihad in Syria as well.
Reports speak of about 10,000 foreign fighters in the ISIS ranks.
Affirming the possibility of Indian fighters in ISIS, Ajai Sahni, a counter terrorism expert told HT: "Already there are confirmed cases of Indians fighting in Syria. One faction of the Indian Mujaheedin is also fighting alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan."
Foreign fighters are mainly used for suicide attacks according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank that has analysed an ISIS annual report published on March 31, 2014. "The majority of suicide bombers in Iraq have historically been foreign fighters...This division therefore suggests ISIS leadership intended to highlight the effective use of foreign fighters," it says in a report.
The ISIS chief's speech also signalled strong possibilities that India is a prime target of the organisation that has established military control in large parts of Syria and Iraq.
India figures quite a few times in his speech where he names India as one of the countries including Pakistan and Myanmar, where "Muslims' rights are forcibly seized". Al-Baghdadi then goes on to give a clarion call to believers for emigration (hijrah) to the Islamic state. He also terms terror acts as the "killing and burning the homes of Muslims in Burma, the dismembering and disemboweling of the Muslims in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Kashmir."
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