U.S.-Trained Commander of Tajik Police Defects to ISIS
Colonel Gulmurod Khalimov, trained by both Russian and American special forces to head up the elite OMON police force of Tajikistan, has defected to the Islamic State.
Tag: Islamic State
Monitor: ISIS Forces Civilians to Watch Mass Execution in Palmyra
The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) used an ancient Roman amphitheater in Syria’s historic city of Palmyra for a mass execution of prisoners, forcing civilians to watch, according to a monitory group.
Editorial: U.S. Had Intel About Pending ISIS Offensive in Ramadi Prior to City’s Fall
The United States was aware of Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) plans to retake the strategically important Iraqi city of Ramadi, but failed to take action to prevent the jihadist group’s offensive, according to Bloomberg News’ editorial division.
Obama Finally Meets with ISIS Hostage Sotloff’s Family, 9 Months after Beheading
“President Obama met today with the family of Steven Sotloff — one of the American journalists brutally beheaded by ISIS last year,” ABC News reported Thursday. “The White House announced that Obama met with Art and Shirley Sotloff during his trip to Miami. The Sotloffs live in Florida, so the White House says it was ‘an appropriate occasion for the president to visit with them.'”
Spain Using 2013 Nun Assault to Charge Boko Haram with Terrorism
A Spanish court has filed a formal complaint against the Nigerian jihadist terror group Boko Haram, citing the principle of universal justice, after discovering a Spanish victim of the group: a nun who was accosted in 2013 by terrorists belonging to the group.
White House: United States Not ‘Responsible’ for Defending Iraq
The Obama White House made clear on Thursday that the United States is in no way “responsible” for defending Iraq from the Islamic State.
ISIS Destruction of Palmyra Begins, With Vow to Destroy Only ‘Idols’
The Islamic State commander in Palmyra, Syria. announced the terrorist group will destroy anything in the UNESCO World Heritage Site that promotes idolatry, but everything else will remain untouched.
UN Official: Rise in Saudi Arabian Executions ‘Disturbing’
Christof Heyns, the United Nations Special Raporteur of Extrajudicial Summary and Arbitrary Executions, recently spoke out against the rise in executions in Saudi Arabia. “It is certainly very disturbing that there is such a fast pace of executions at the moment,” Heyns told AFP. “If it continues at this pace we will have double the number of executions, or more than double the number of executions, that we had last year.”
Report: U.S. Pilots Waging Anti-ISIS War Claim ‘Micromanaging’ Slowing Them Down
American military pilots charged with carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq and Syria are complaining that stringent rules of engagement are interfering with their mission, Fox News reports.
Yazidi Victims of Mass Rape Threatened with Death Upon Release from ISIS Captivity
According to Kurdish media network Rudaw, seventeen-year-old “Suzan,” a Kurdish Yezidi girl was kidnapped, gang-raped, enslaved, and impregnated by ISIS warriors. Incredibly, she managed to escape and has told her story to Delal Sindy, a Swedish-Kurdish activist living in a Kurdish region.
Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Join ISIS
MyFoxAtlanta reports that Leon Nathan Davis, a 37-year-old resident of Augusta, Georgia, has pleaded guilty in federal court on charges of “helping and attempting to join the ISIS terrorist organization.” Prosecutors say he could be looking at up to “15 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.”
Iraqi Government: US Airstrike Kills ISIS Governor of Mosul
While the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) has made major inroads in the city of Ramadi and territories increasingly close to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, Kurdish forces backed by American airstrikes have reported major progress in the north of the country, with the Iraqi government reporting that an American airstrike has killed the ISIS governor of Mosul.
Pakistani Taliban Officially Declares ISIS Caliphate Illegitimate
The Pakistani Taliban has declared that the Islamic State’s (ISIS) proclamation of an Islamic caliphate is illegitimate, according to a statement relayed through its official media outlet.
Despite ISIS Threat, Christian Monks Refuse to Abandon St. Matthew’s Monastery in Iraq
The Assyrian monks at Saint Matthew’s Monastery in the Nineveh Plains told the world they will not leave, even though the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) creeps closer to their home. The monks regularly hear battles down the mountain.
Jindal: Rand Paul ‘Unsuited’ For Presidency After Blaming Conservatives For Rise Of ISIS
On Wednesday, Paul blamed fellow Republican colleagues for the Islamic State’s (ISIS) existence, stating that “ISIS grew stronger because of the hawks in our party.”
Turkey Pushes Out Syrian Refugees to Save Tourism
Turkish authorities in the Muğla province kicked out 40 Syrians after business owners and tourism companies complained about the massive hordes of people in the park.
Kurdish Forces Hit ISIS Positions Near Mosul
While Americans digest the reality of Iraqi army units fleeing from battle against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) despite months of rhetoric from the Obama administration about their improved performance, the Kurds are still very much in the game.
Stand With Rand — On Iran?
On Wednesday, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) raised eyebrows when he took to blaming some of his Republican colleagues for the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group. In doing so, he remained almost completely indifferent to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s rapid expansion throughout the region.
Iran Contradicts Head of Elite Forces: ‘We Have Sent No Military Forces to Iraq’
Iran’s deputy foreign minister has denied claims that Iranian forces are fighting the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq, reports BasNews.
ISIS Burns 80-Year-Old Christian Woman to Death for Alleged Sharia Violation
Reports from Iraq indicate the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) burned an 80-year-old woman to death after she failed to obey Sharia law.
ISIS Releases Video Assuring World Ancient Palmyra Ruins are Safe… for Now
The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) released their first video from Palmyra, Syria, which shows the city’s ancient ruins untouched for now. Those buildings and temples earned Palmyra the title of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The group’s official media outlet uploaded the short video to YouTube.
‘Lone Wolf’ Cub: 14-Year-Old ISIS Recruit Convicted On Terrorism Charges In Austria
As Australia considers stronger measures to keep ISIS recruiters away from young people, and the United States deals with collegiate jihadis who used student-loan money to finance their attempted journey to Syria, Austrian courts just sentenced a fourteen-year-old boy to eight months in prison on terrorism charges.
Kurdish President: Former Iraqi PM Responsible for Chaos in Iraq
The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Masoud Barzani, blamed former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki for the turmoil in the country where the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) has recently gained more territory.
Rand Paul Joins Left in Blaming GOP ‘Hawks’ for ISIS
President Barack Obama once dismissed ISIS (or “ISIL”) as a “junior varsity” outfit. As the terrorist organization has grown in size, wealth, and power, Obama’s allies on the left have moved from dismissing ISIS outright to blaming Republicans for its rise, arguing that it would never have emerged if President George W. Bush had not invaded Iraq. (Democrats’ support for the war is conveniently omitted.) Now, Sen. Rand Paul has joined the left in blaming GOP ‘hawks’ for the rise of ISIS.
UN Envoy: ISIS Burned Woman Alive for Refusing to Perform ‘Extreme Sex Act’
Zainab Bangura recently told the Middle East Eye that this is just one of many sadistic sexual acts that she learned of during a recent visit to Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to gather data on ISIS’ war on women.
