Terrorism not invoked during Pompeo-Imran call, correct readout: Pak to US

In an unusual move, Pakistan on Thursday asked the US to "immediately correct" a readout issued by the State Department in which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was quoted as saying that he asked Pakistan's new Prime Minister to take "decisive action" against all terrorists operating in the country.

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement that Pompeo, in his talks with Khan, raised the importance of Pakistan taking "decisive action" against all terrorists operating in Pakistan and its vital role in promoting the Afghan peace process.

However, according to the Foreign Office (FO), Pompeo congratulated Khan while discussing other issues of interest and there was no mention of "terrorists operating in Pakistan".

FO spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that "Pakistan takes exception to the factually incorrect statement issued by US State Department on today's phone call between Prime Minister Khan and Secretary Pompeo".

Bombs kill at least 25 people near hotel in Somali capital Mogadishu

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Two car bombs killed At least 25 people were killed and 30 others injured in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Saturday, police said, two weeks after a huge truck bomb killed hundreds of civilians in the city.

Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attacks on Saturday. A suicide car bomb was rammed into a hotel, Nasahablod Two, about 600 metres from the presidential palace, and then armed militants stormed the building, police said.

A few minutes later, a car bomb exploded near the former parliament house nearby.

Earlier, Ali Nur, a police officer, told Reuters that mostly policemen had died in the blasts.

“Security forces have entered a small portion of the hotel building ... the exchange of gunfire is hellish,” he said.

The police personnel who died had been stationed close to hotel’s gate. The dead also included a former lawmaker, he said.

Fighting continued to rage inside the hotel after the blast and police said the death toll was likely to rise.

Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Amin ambulances, told Reuters the emergency service had earlier carried 17 people injured from the hotel bombing.

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Eradicate terrorists: Rex Tillerson's strong message to Pakistan

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday told Pakistan that it must increase its efforts to eradicate militants and terrorists operating within the country.

Tillerson, who was in Islamabad for a few hours on his inaugural trip to Pakistan as Secretary of State, met with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and discussed the continued bilateral cooperation and partnership, expanding economic ties between the United States and Pakistan, and Pakistan's critical role in the region, said a US Embassy press release.

The top US official reiterated President Donald Trump's message that Pakistan must increase its efforts to eradicate militants and terrorists operating within the country.

To address those concerns, the Secretary outlined the United States' new South Asia Strategy and the vital role that Pakistan can play in working with the United States and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan that can bring stability and security to the region. The Secretary noted that Pakistan and the United States share common interests in establishing a stable, peaceful Afghanistan, defeating ISIS in South Asia, and eliminating terrorist groups that threaten both Pakistan and the United States.
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Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to ISIS militants: Have patience, step up your attack

The leader of the Islamic State group urged followers to burn their enemies everywhere and target "media centers of the infidels," according to an audio recording released Thursday that the extremists said was by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The reclusive leader of Islamic State, who has only appeared in public once, also vowed to continue fighting and lavished praise on his jihadis for their valor in the battlefield — despite the militants' loss of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in July.

The recording was released by the Islamic State-run al-Furqan outlet, which has in the past released messages from al-Baghdadi and other top figures of the extremist group. The voice in the over 46-minute-long audio sounded much like previous recordings of al-Baghdadi. His last previous purported message was released in November, also in an audio recording.

"You soldiers of the caliphate, heroes of Islam and carriers of banners: light a fire against your enemies," said al-Baghdadi, a shadowy cleric who has been surrounded by controversy since the Sunni terror group emerged from al-Qaida in Iraq, its forerunner.

Russian officials said in June there was a "high probability" that al-Baghdadi had died in a Russian airstrike on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa, the group's de facto capital. US officials later said they believed he was still alive.

Al-Baghdadi's whereabouts are unknown but he is believed to be in Islamic State' dwindling territory in eastern Syria. The Islamic State-held cities of Raqqa and Deir el-Zour are under siege and likely too dangerous for him to hide in. Some Islamic State leadership is believed to have gone to the nearby town of Mayadeen, and the group still holds a stretch of the Euphrates River from Deir el-Zour to the Iraqi border, as well as remote desert areas along the border.
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Terrorists kill BSF jawan Ramzan Parray, injure family members in Kashmir

Militants on Wednesday stormed the home of a Kashmiri BSF constable on vacation, shooting him dead and inflicting gunshot wounds on four of his family members in Hajjan in north Kashmir, police said.

Rameez Parrey (30) belonged to the 73rd battalion of the BSF.

The militants, after forcing their way into the house in Parrey Mohalla, fired indiscriminately at the family.

The jawan died on the spot. Four of his family members -- his father, two brothers and an aunt -- suffered gunshot wounds, police said.

The condition of the jawan's aunt was stated to be serious, while that of the three others was stable.

The Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, S P Vaid, termed the incident as "barbaric and inhumane" and said the guilty would be punished.

Parrey served the BSF for six years.

The BSF, India confirmed the news on Twitter: "Prahari Pariwar stands by the family of one of our member Constable Md Ramzan who was cowardly killed by terrorists today.He was on leave"

Nitish Kumar, who heads the police in North Kashmir, tweeted that the four were "critically injured".
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Kulgam encounter: Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants killed, one arrested

At least two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed and another arrested in an encounter with the security forces in the Khudwani village of Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam.

The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Khudwani area of Kulgam district yesterday following specific information about the presence of several terrorists.

The killed terrorists have been identified as Dawood Ahmed Ali and Shaiyar Ahmed Wani. The arrested terrorist has been identified as Arief Sofi.

Two weapons were also recovered - one AK47 and one INSAS rifle.
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Five Islamic State terrorists held in Pakistan, explosives recovered

Five Islamic State terrorists planning a major terror attack in Pakistan have been arrested and a huge cache of explosives recovered from them in Punjab province, officials said on Sunday.

The militants were planning to attack sensitive installations in Sialkot district, about 180 km from Lahore.

They have been booked under the anti-terrorism act.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police arrested them yesterday during a raid in Sialkot.

Abdul Wahab, Behzad Ali, Shahzaib Zafar, Waqas and Daniyal Arshad were said to be active members of the ISIS.

Some 3,400 grammes of explosives, 100-inch safety fuse, five non-electric detonators, three bags and maps have been recovered from them.

The ISIS terror group has claimed responsibility for the killing of two Chinese nationals, including a woman, who were abducted by armed gunmen from Pakistan's restive north-west Balochistan province recently.
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IS hates what Ariana Grande stands for - that's why we should celebrate her

The so-called Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the recent bombing of an Ariane Grande concert in Manchester. Whether it really was involved or not has yet to be verified. What is not in doubt, however, is that IS extremists hate everything the popstar represents. She is an independent young woman with a mind of her own and thousands of loyal followers keen to follow in her footsteps. To IS, Grande lives up to the tagline of her tour: she really is a “dangerous woman”.

Terrorism is a “communicative act” – its targets are not only those who died or were injured – but the wider audiences drawn in by its spectacular violence. Terrorists are frequently defined because they target non-military, non-state infrastructure or people. They do so to generate fear and panic.

Targeting is never accidental. Strategic choices are made to generate that chosen effect. In Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan, market squares, queues for pay cheques, music shops, ice cream stores, beauty parlours, airports, Sufi shrines, schools and political rallies have all fallen victim to terrorist attacks. They were chosen because these are places where everyday living and politics happen.

In Paris, London, Madrid, Bali, Tunisia and now Manchester, everyday living and politics is in the cafes, on the bus, the train, the beach, in nightclubs, shopping malls and music venues. These everyday places are where “politics is at”. They are the ordinary mundane expressions of “togetherness” and worldliness that enable societies to function.

Music epitomises this. It has that ability to unite and connect with people regardless of faith, age, race or gender. There is “collective effervescence” (or karma of the crowd). Music literally brings people into sync.
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