Turkey
Committee To Protect Journalists: Terrorism Trial Of 17 Kurdish Journalists, Media Worker Begins In Turkey
“In response to Tuesday’s opening of the trial of 17 Kurdish journalists and a media worker on terrorism charges in a court in Diyarbakır, Turkey, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: ‘Turkish authorities must immediately release the defendants and drop the terrorism charges, which are solely based on their journalistic work,’ said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative. ‘Turkish authorities should also take necessary steps to ensure that pretrial arrest cannot be weaponized against the members of the press.’ The journalists and media worker were charged with membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). They are employed by local ARİ, PEL, and PİYA production companies and produce Kurdish-focused shows and content, which the indictment alleged were propaganda for PKK. The government has designated PKK as a terrorist organization.”
Afghanistan
Reuters: Taliban Halt Swedish Activities In Afghanistan After Koran Burning
“The Taliban administration halted all activities by Sweden in Afghanistan on Tuesday in response to the burning of a Koran in Stockholm last month, and a major Swedish aid group said it was seeking clarification about the impact on its programmes. ‘After the insulting of the holy Koran and granting of permission for insulting of Muslim beliefs ...The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is ordering the stopping of all activities of Sweden in Afghanistan,’ said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban administration, in a statement. An Iraqi immigrant to Sweden burned a Koran outside a Stockholm mosque last month, causing outrage in the Muslim world. Swedish officials have deplored the act but said they could not prevent it because of free speech rules. Sweden no longer has an embassy in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over in 2021. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) aid organisation said it was seeking clarification with Taliban authorities on whether its operations would be affected.”
Pakistan
Associated Press: Militants Attack A Security Post In Southwest Pakistan And Trigger A Clash That Leaves 8 Dead
“Five militants attacked a security post in southwest Pakistan in the early hours of Wednesday morning, triggering an intense shootout that left four soldiers, three attackers and a female passerby dead, officials said. The newly-formed militant group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, not providing further details. Hours after the attack, Pakistan’s military said in a statement that ‘a group of terrorists launched a dastardly attack’ in the garrison district of Zhob in the southwestern Baluchistan province. The ‘initial attempt of terrorists to sneak into the facility was checked by soldiers on duty,’ it read. The shootout left three militants and four soldiers dead while five troopers were critically wounded.”
Middle East
Iran International: Terrorist Attack On Israel’s Embassy In Baku Thwarted
“Azerbaijan's security agencies thwarted a terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy in Baku, the latest in a wave of Iranian plots against Israeli targets abroad. According to media reports, an Afghan citizen, Fawzan Mosa Khan, has been arrested. In a video released by Azerbaijan's State Security Service, Khan discussed how he would monitor the target of the attack. Photographs suggested Musa Khan had been surveilling the Hyatt Regency hotel complex in Baku, where the Israeli embassy is located. Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad, recently revealed new details about a terrorist cell directed by Iran which intended to harm Israeli businessmen in Cyprus. Israel later said its agents in Iran succeeded in capturing the suspect behind the IRGC-planned attack on its nationals.”
Africa
KBC: Terror Groups In Africa: Breeding Ground For Attacks In Europe?
“...Can the triumphant march of the Islamists in Africa still be stopped? Experts like Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project see fighting poverty on the ground as a key to curbing the influence of IS and Co. “Wherever governments are weak, where there is economic hardship, where there is inequality, that is of course a recruitment potential for terrorist groups,” says the senior director of the Counter Extremism Project.”
United Kingdom
BBC: Right-Wing Washington Terror Plotter Luke Skelton Jailed
“A right-wing extremist who scouted police stations for a terror attack has been jailed for four years. Luke Skelton, 20, took pictures of targets and wrote about starting a race war that would kill thousands of people, Teesside Crown Court heard. He was found guilty of one count of preparing a terrorist act. Prosecutors said he was dangerous but his lawyers argued his autism made him vulnerable to radicalisation and he did not actually intend an attack.”
The Sun: MONSTER'S FREEDOM BID Fury As IS Terrorist Linked To The Manchester Arena Bomber Could Be Free By Christmas
“Abdullah Ahmed Jama Farah, 28, was a lynchpin helping fanatics join up with IS fighters in Syria. One was an associate of Manchester terrorist Salman Abedi, who killed 22 and injured 250 in 2017. Jama Farah was jailed for seven years in 2016, with an extra five months in 2021 for attacking a prison guard. He was initially denied parole amid concerns about his behaviour. But his latest bid for freedom is to go before the Parole Board in October. Campaigners tonight slammed the move.”
India
News18: Al-Qaeda Suspects Planned Mass Attack Using Trucks, In Touch With Pak, Kashmiri Handlers: UP ATS
“The two terror suspects from an Al-Qaeda affiliated group, arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) around last week, were planning a massive attack for which they were ‘very much’ in touch with the Pakistani and Kashmiri handlers, sources have told News18. The UP ATS has recovered a series of videos from the social media account of arrested Saddam Sheikh, 38, where he was being trained for a major attack. Most videos pointed that a mass attack was being planned where trucks would be used as a weapon. UP ATS arrested Rizwan Khan, 23, and Sheikh from Lucknow on July 2. Both the suspects were the members of the terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an al-Qaeda affiliated Islamist militant group. ‘Both Rizwan and Saddam, who seemed to be highly radicalised, were preparing themselves psychologically for the attack. Rizwan was in touch with his handlers in Pakistan and Kashmir while Saddam was being trained for the lone wolf attack in which he was planning to use his vehicle as a lethal weapon,’ said Naveen Arora, additional director general, ATS.”
Daily Excelsior: Cops Trace Out Exact Locations Of 40 Militants In Pak, Pojk; Mobile Numbers Too Identified
“In a significant success for police, the officials in Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar districts have succeeded in identifying ‘accurate locations’ of around 40 militants from these districts in Pakistan and PoJK where they are operating as commanders of different militant outfits and trying to revive militancy across Jammu region especially their native districts. ‘We have ‘exact locations and addresses’ of 40 militants out of a total of 250 who are camping in Pakistan and PoJK from the three districts and trying to radicalize youth of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban to lure them into militancy,’ police officials told the Excelsior. The mobile and landline numbers being used by the militants have also been identified, they said. At the same time, they said, Intelligence agencies continued efforts to trace locations and addresses of other militants and hopefully some more successes are expected shortly. ‘The process is on. Our agencies are on the job. Shortly, we will be able to trace addresses and locations of more militants,’ the sources said. This will be used by the Indian Government (the Ministry of External Affairs) to convey to Pakistan that these militants are operating from such locations in Pakistan and PoJK and trying to revive militancy in otherwise peaceful districts.”
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