Eurasia Press & News

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 …

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 …

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 …

‘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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

BAGHDAD, June 30, (Agencies): Ruthless jihadists spearheading a Sunni militant offensive in Iraq have declared an “Islamic caliphate” and ordered Muslims worldwide to pledge allegiance to their chief, in a spectacular bid to extend their authority. Iraqi forces meanwhile pressed a counter-offensive Monday against executed dictator Saddam Hussein’s hometown of …

JuD condemns ‘terror’ label ISLAMABAD, June 26, (Agencies): The US State Department has named a self-proclaimed Pakistani charity as a “foreign terrorist organization”, a status that freezes any assets it has under US jurisdiction. Jamaat-ud-Dawa calls itself a humanitarian charity but is widely seen as a front organization for the …

BAGHDAD, June 25, (Agencies): Militants attacked one of Iraq’s largest air bases and seized control of several small oilfields on Wednesday as US special forces troops and intelligence analysts arrived to help Iraqi security forces counter a mounting Sunni insurgency. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is fighting for his …