Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ‘hiding in Mosul’ as Iraqi forces enter city ahead of final battle
Exclusive: Senior Kurdish official says they have information the head of the terror group is within the city – and his killing would be a death blow to the so-called Islamic State
The Iraqi Army has entered Mosul for the first time in over two years at the start of a battle which is likely to end in a decisive defeat for Isis. The significance of the fight for Mosul will be all the greater for Isis because its self-declared caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is believed to be still inside the city, a senior Kurdish official has told The Independent.
Fuad Hussein, chief of staff to Kurdish President Massoud Barzani, said in an exclusive interview that his government had information from multiple sources that “Baghdadi is there and, if he is killed, it will mean the collapse of the whole [Isis] system.” Isis would have to choose a new caliph in the middle of a battle, but no successor would have the authority and prestige of Baghdadi, the leader who surprised the world by establishing the caliphate after capturing Mosul in June 2014.
Hong Kong may ask Beijing to intervene over pro-democracy activists
Chief executive Leung Chun-ying says he may defer to China’s interpretation of Basic Law to decide if lawmakers can be sworn in to new legislature
Hong Kong’s top leader may ask Beijing to step in to resolve a crisis gripping the city’s parliament, a move which has sparked an outcry from legal scholars concerned at China’s interference in the judicial process.
Chief executive Leung Chun-ying has said he may consult the mainland over the interpretation of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, to determine if young pro-democracy lawmakers can be sworn in to its new legislature.
Recent weeks have seen the semi-autonomous city thrust on the path to a potential constitutional crisis, as a younger generation of activists faces off against Beijing loyalists.Joy as Nigerian high schools reopen two years after Boko Haram terror
OBSERVERS
High school students are finally back in the classroom in Maiduguri, Nigeria, more than two years after secondary schools were shut in fear of attacks by Boko Haram. A high school teacher told FRANCE 24 about his joy at returning to teaching, despite the challenges that he and his students face.
Islamist militant group Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden”, started attacking schools in northern Nigeria around 2009. Many of the schools they targeted were located in Maiduguri. This town, located in Borno state, is considered the birthplace of the insurgency.
In spring 2014, Boko Haram carried out some of its most savage school attacks to date: slaughtering dozens of students at Federal Government College in Yobe State in February and kidnapping hundreds of girls from Chibok, in Borno state in April.
By May 2014, the Borno state government felt they had no choice: they closed all high schools that month.
Indonesia on edge as jihadists urge violence at Jakarta rally against governor
Jakarta: Jihadists are urging violence at a massive rally planned in Jakarta on Friday by Islamic hardliners calling for the city's Chinese Christian governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, widely known as Ahok, to be jailed for insulting the Koran.
Former terrorist Nasir Abas, now a consultant to Indonesian police, showed a forum a photo of armed members of the Syrian-based jihadist group Jabhat Fatah al-Sham holding a sign that said: "Punish Ahok or our bullets will."
Mr Abas, once one of the most wanted jihadists in South-east Asia, warned there was a risk that both supporters of Islamic State and al-Qaeda's regional affiliate, Jemaah Islamiyah, would attend the November 4 demonstration.Thanks to volunteers, Olympic track at Sarajevo makes a comeback
WORKING TOGETHER Sports enthusiasts came together to repair the bobsled and luge track, which
was devastated by the Bosnian war. Even though its condition is still rough, some say it's one of the best
tracks for summer training.
MT. TREBEVIC, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA — Sports enthusiasts and former athletes in Bosnia have taken it upon themselves to reclaim some of the glory Sarajevo savored as host of the 1984 Olympics – and in the process rekindled the flame of international cooperation.
Since the country lacks the resources to rebuild the Olympic facilities that were destroyed in the deadly war that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia, volunteers bought tools, rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
At first, they planned to restore the bobsled and luge track on Mt. Trebevic just so it could be used by the Bosnian national team for summer training. But the previously abandoned facility became a draw for athletes from around Europe.
Venezuela opposition suspends trial of Nicolas Maduro
National Assembly head says decision not "capitulation" but proof of desire to end crisis via talks set for November 11.
Venezuela's opposition has suspended a "trial" and a planned mass march against President Nicolas Maduro, in advance of talks next week aimed at easing the country's political crisis.
The decision, adopted by the opposition-led National Assembly to put off its proceedings against Maduro on charges he has been derelict in his constitutional duties, was not "capitulation," Henry Ramos Allup, the speaker, said on Tuesday.
Instead, he said, it showed the opposition's desire to seek a solution to the crisis through the talks with the government set to begin on November 11.
No comments:
Post a Comment