Middle Orient

ISIS Declares ‘Caliphate’ in Its Iraq, Syria Territories

ISIS-led insurgents are creating an Islamic state out of the vast strips of land they control in Iraq and Syria, the militants have announced. Its territory will extend from Syria’s Aleppo, once the economic heart of the country, to the Diyala province in the east of Iraq. The Islamic State for Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which from now is to call itself simply “Islamic …

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Erdogan to run for President

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be his party’s presidential candidate at the vote this August, ruling AKP officials say. The widely expected announcement comes briefly after President Abdullah Gul declared he was not intending to stand for a second term in office, amid speculations he might try to do so and could put Erdogan’s ambitions …

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Eyes on defence deals, Western powers rush to court India Modi

Drawn by prospect of multi-billion-dollar deals NEW DELHI, June 29, (RTRS): Western governments are rushing to visit India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi, drawn by the prospect of multi-billion-dollar deals as the government prepares to open the nascent defence industry to foreign investment. Senior politicians from France, the United States …

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Iraq presses Tikrit campaign

BAGHDAD, June 28, (RTRS): Iraqi government forces backed by helicopter gunships began an offensive on Saturday to retake the northern city of Tikrit from Sunni Islamist militants while party leaders pursued talks that could end Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s divisive rule. Politicians in Baghdad and world powers warn that unless …

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Rebels in Somalia kill 3 as Ramadan starts

Al-Shabaab warned of attacks during fasting month MOGADISHU, June 29, (RTRS): Islamist rebels shot dead three members of Somalia’s security forces in the capital on Sunday, police and witnesses said on the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month when insurgents had warned they would stage attacks. The government …

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Suspected rebels attack villages, churches near Nigeria’s Chibok

Dozens of worshippers killed MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, June 29, (AFP): Suspected Boko Haram Islamists attacked a series of churches on Sunday near Chibok, the northeast Nigeria town where more than 200 teenage girls were kidnapped in April, with dozens feared dead, witnesses said. Residents said the gunmen riding on motorcycles opened …

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Saudi monarch slams religious extremists in Ramadan speech

‘Islam is religion of unity’ RIYADH, June 29, (Agencies): Saudi King Abdullah on Sunday sharply criticised religious extremists, vowing not to let “a handful of terrorists… terrify Muslims”, in a speech marking the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. Islam is “religion of unity, fraternity and mutual …

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ISIL crucifies 8 rebels – Jihadists declare caliphate

KUWAIT AID RUSH TO DISPLACED IRAQIS BEIRUT, June 29, (Agencies): A jihadist group in Syria has publicly executed and crucified eight rebels fighting both President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the jihadists, a monitor said on Sunday. The report comes amid fierce clashes on the outskirts of Damascus between the Islamic …

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Attacks on Nigeria churches claim 54 ahead of Cup game

Military accused of ignoring distress calls KANO, Nigeria, June 30, (AFP): An attack on churches in northeast Nigeria blamed on Boko Haram killed more than 50 people, an official said on Monday, overshadowing festivities ahead of a last-16 World Cup match against France. Gunmen stormed Sunday services in four villages …

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Pak begins ground offensive against militants

Troops recover underground tunnels, IED making factories BANNU, Pakistan, June 30, (AFP): Pakistan’s military launched a ground assault in the North Waziristan tribal area on Monday, beginning a new phase in its offensive against Taleban militants, after nearly half a million civilians fled the fighting. Troops moved on Miranshah, the …

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