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 …