The offensive occurred amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors in the aftermath of an attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir last month.

Pakistan said India launched missiles at three places, but an Indian government statement did not detail the nature of the strikes.

“A little while ago, the Indian armed forces launched ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed,” the Indian statement said.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/05/06/world-news/india-confirms-it-attacked-nine-sites-in-pakistan-pakistani-kashmir-targeting-terrorist-infrastructure/

The post India strikes Pakistan as tension between nuclear-armed neighbors following terror attack reaches fever pitch first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Rajouri:

In a mega exercise to revive vigilante groups armed by the government to defend against terrorist attacks, revamp of erstwhile Village Defence Committees is going on aggressively in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri. There are already 5,000 armed members in the district and more villagers are registering to get weapons from the police.

The committees have been renamed Village Defence Groups or VDG and are being revamped at such a large scale for the first time in over two decades. Each member is equipped with a .303 rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition. The government is also planning to equip them with SLR rifles.

The committees were set up almost 30 years ago when the law-and-order machinery had collapsed in Jammu and Kashmir. The administration was even criticised for abdicating its responsibility to protect common people and instead arming such groups. Eventually, the role of these committees was diminished as security forces regained control on the ground.

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/after-rajouri-terror-strike-mega-revival-of-vigilante-groups-by-jammu-and-kashmir-government-3672936

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[Disclaimer]

The post After Attack, Government Revives Armed Vigilante Groups In Jammu And Kashmir’s Rajouri first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Police officers patrolling near London Bridge on Saturday, after a deadly attack by a man armed with knives.Credit…Alberto Pezzali/Associated Press

LONDON — It was midafternoon when Mike Finnerty, who sells cheese at his Borough Market shop just south of London Bridge, realized that something was wrong. An unusual flow of people had suddenly gathered in front of his stall, he said, and they seemed “alarmed.”

What he did not know was that a man dressed in black and armed with knives had gone on a murderous rampage in a grand meeting venue called Fishmongers’ Hall on the opposite side of the bridge, just north of the Thames River. But Mr. Finnerty sensed the danger on Friday, he would later tell the BBC and write on Twitter.

So he and another employee rushed some customers — a couple from Vancouver and a young American man — into a cheese refrigerator and locked the door. Then he called the police.

The “operator said it was an attack and not to move,” he wrote. He said he could hear shouting outside the door, but he and the group huddled together in “pretty close quarters.”

Susan Vinn, 57, was smoking outside her office adjacent to Fishmongers’ Hall about 2 p.m. when she saw people running over the bridge. And Craig Heathcote, a filmmaker, was walking there when, he told the British broadcaster Sky News, someone said:

“Get out of the way. Someone’s got a knife.”

On Saturday, Britain grappled with the aftermath of another terrorist attack in the heart of London just as the Islamic State claimed responsibility. Two people were killed and at least three were wounded in Friday’s assault.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, center, visited the scene of the attack on Saturday. He praised the actions of  bystanders.Credit…Peter Summers/Getty Images

In a statement, ISIS said the assailant had carried out the attack in its name and added that he had done so “in response to calls to target coalition countries.” The phrasing indicates that the attacker was inspired by the group’s ideology and refers to a speech by a former spokesman, who urged followers to carry out attacks in any way they could, including stabbing.

This attack, the police said, had been carried out by a man wearing a fake bomb vest, a former prisoner who had been convicted of terrorism offenses in 2012. The authorities identified the suspect as Usman Khan, 28, of Stafford, England, who was released from prison last year, apparently after agreeing to wear an electronic tag.

He was part of a gang that plotted in 2010 to plant explosives in the toilets of the London Stock Exchange, the authorities said, and possibly attack other British landmarks and prominent figures like Boris Johnson, then the mayor of London.

The rampage on Friday, near the same bridge where a terrorist attack by a group men in June 2017 left eight people dead and dozens injured, raised questions about the efficacy of Britain’s prison rehabilitation system and about the release from prison of Mr. Khan, despite warnings from the judge at his trial about the threats he still posed.

In his judgment, Lord Justice Brian Leveson said there was “no doubt that anyone convicted of this type of offense could legitimately be considered dangerous.”

In February 2012, Mr. Khan was given an indeterminate sentence, with a minimum term of eight years, but the Court of Appeal replaced it in 2013 with a 16-year fixed-term sentence. He was released in half the time.

The attack occurred two weeks before a pivotal general election, and Mr. Johnson, now the prime minister, is under pressure. He told reporters on Saturday that he wanted to “toughen up” sentences.

“I have long argued that it is a mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early,” Mr. Johnson said.

On Saturday, the Parole Board, which carries out risk assessments on prisoners to determine whether they can be safely released, said in a statement that it had not reviewed his case. Mr. Khan appeared to have been released automatically, “on license” — meaning under certain conditions — “without ever being referred to the board,” it said.

The post Amid Heroism in London, Gnawing Fear of a Simmering Terrorism Threat first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

• Driver ploughed through crowds outside the popular Grosser Kiepenkerl bar in Münster, west Germany 
• He shot himself dead inside the vehicle, leaving two others dead and 20 injured in the attack at 3.27pm 
• Reports claim he was Jens R., 48, a German national with psychological problems and no terror links
• Police in the area say they are not looking for any more suspects and currently searching perpetrator’s flat 
• Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was ‘deeply shaken’ by the incident that has cordoned off city’s old town

  The 48-year-old van driver who mowed down people outside a bar in Germany before shooting himself dead was well known to police, authorities said.

  Terrified diners watched as the driver, named locally as Jens R, 48, shot himself with the cartridge gun later found by police inside the vehicle after the attack at 3.27pm local time.

  Mourners laid flowers on Sunday morning at the scene of Saturday’s crash outside the popular Grosser Kiepenkerl bar in the university city of Münster, 300 miles west of Berlin, that left two people dead and dozens more injured.

  A 51-year-old woman from the county of Lueneburg and a 65-year-old man from the county of Broken died in the attack. Their names weren’t given as is customary in Germany.

  Authorities have not identified the injured in the crash Saturday in the western German city, but a German security official says people from The Netherlands are among them.

  However, authorities revealed the 48-year-man was well known to police and there had been three previous court procedures in the western city of Muenster and one in nearby Arnsberg in 2015 and 2016 involving the van driver.

  Prosecutor Elke Adomeit on Sunday said the perpetrator, whose name was not released, had run-ins with the law regarding threats, property damage, fraud and a hit-and-run, but that all charges were dismissed.

  Adomeit also said authorities ‘have no indications that there is a political background’ to Saturday’s deadly crash outside the Kiepenkerl bar in the city’s old town.

  Muenster police president Hajo Kuhlisch said the man had four apartments and several cars, all of which were searched by police.

  

  A man brings flowers to the scene where a vehicle crashed into a crowd in Munster, Germany, on Saturday, killing two people and injuring dozens

  

   A woman lays down flowers in front of the restaurant Kiepenkerl in Muenster, western Germany, a  day after a van crashed into people drinking outside the popular bar
  

  People grieve after laying down flowers in front of a fountain with the Kiepenkerl, a traditional merchant figure from the Muensterland, in front of the restaurant Kiepenkerl in Muenster

  

  A man brings flowers to the place in Muenster, Germany, Sunday, where a vehicle crashed into a crowd, killing two people and injuring 20 others before the driver of the vehicle shot and killed himself inside it.

  Inside the van in Munster, police found illegal firecrackers which were disguised as a fake bomb, a fake pistol and the gun that the perpetrator used to kill himself.

  Inside the man’s apartment, which was nearby the crash scene and raided late Saturday, police found more firecrackers and a ‘no longer usable AK-47 machine gun.’

  The man is believed to be a German national with ‘psychological problems’ and no links to any terrorist organisations.  Local reports claim he had been in contact with far-right groups, but was not an extremist himself.

  Bild reports that detectives are looking into whether the attack was a case of ‘extended suicide’ similar to the case of Andreas Lubitz, who deliberately crashed a Germanwings flight in 2015, killing all 144 passengers and crew on board. The man had recently attempted suicide, ZDF reports.

  The local daily Muenstersche Zeitung reported that the perpetrator had vaguely announced his suicide plans a week ago in an email to friends and that he was known to the authorities for previous violence and drug violations, but police wouldn’t confirm any of those details.

  Earlier, prosecutors say they still have no indication why the man drove a van into a crowd of people.

  In a joint statement with police, prosecutor Martin Botzenhardt wrote Sunday that ‘as of now, we don’t have any leads regarding a possible background for the deed.’  

  He had a dozen firecrackers in his vehicle and more in his flat, leading police to believe that they were explosives which turned out to be a false alarm, as they were in fact normal celebration firecrackers.

  Officers searching his grey Volkswagen van suspected it was booby-trapped after reportedly finding a pistol connected to a wire hidden underneath the inside carpeting.

  Police say the driver had no accomplices, the German news agency dpa reported, after witnesses had initially said they’d seen two other perpetrators flee the van after it crashed into a crowd outside the city’s traditional Kiepenkerl pub in the city’s medieval old town.

  

  A body is loaded into a vehicle in front of a restaurant in Münster, Germany, on Sunday, after a vehicle crashed into a crowd

  

  German police have reportedly found a Kalashnikov at the home of the man who ploughed a minibus (pictured) into a crowd of people and shot himself dead, killing two people and injuring 20 others in Münste

  

  Night-time images show the dark grey Volkswagen van that ploughed into crowds of people in Münster, killing two and injuring dozens.

  

  Officers searching the perpetrator’s van (pictured) suspected it was booby-trapped after reportedly finding a pistol connected to a wire leading underneath the van’s floor carpeting

  On Sunday, German authorities say some of the 20 people injured when a van crashed into people outside of a pub in Muenster are still in a life-threatening condition.

  Armin Laschet, the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state, where Muenster is located, visited the crash scene on Sunday.

  He said: ‘This was a horrible and sad day for the people of Muenster, all of Germany … and also the people of The Netherlands, who were sitting here and became victims.’

  Laschet didn’t give any further details on how many Dutch were injured when a 48-year-old German crashed his van into a crowd in the city’s downtown area.

  Dramatic pictures showed the area of Münster’s old town strewn with broken tables and chairs, while onlookers ran for their lives.

  The city’s old town has been cordoned off while detectives investigate reports that two others escaped from the vehicle after the crash.    

  

  Police have reportedly found a Kalashnikov at the home of the man who ploughed a minibus into a crowd of people and shot himself dead (forensic investigators pictured at scene), killing two people and injuring 20 others in Münster

  

  Forensic investigators are pictured scouring the scene of today’s deadly vehicle attack in the university town of Münster

  

  German forensic experts (pictured) are scouring the scene where a man ploughed a minibus into a crowd of people and shot himself dead, killing two people and injuring 20 others in Münster, Germany

  

  Officers in protective clothing are pictured at the scene where a man ploughed into crowds with a van in Münster, Germany

  

  Armed officers are pictured patrolling the police cordon in Münster’s old town where two people were killed and 20 injured

  

  Terrified diners watched as the driver shot and killed himself inside the vehicle at 3.27pm local time. Officers are still guarding the scene

  

  Emergency vehicles are pictured after night fall in Münster with the scene of the attack still cordoned off

  

  Police and fire teams worked into the night after the deadly vehicle attack at 3.27pm on Saturday in Münster

  

  A fire engine is seen near the Grosser Kiepenkerl bar in Münster’s old town where a van killed two people and injured 20

  

  Broadcaster ZDF said the driver had contact with far-right extremists, but there was no evidence thus far that he was a far-right extremist himself. Pictured: investigators work into the night to uncover more about the deadly attack

  

  Candles are pictured at the scene of the van attack that killed two and injured 20 in the old town of Münster on Saturday

  

  Tributes and candles were laid at the scene of Saturday’s van attack where two people were killed and 20 injured.

The post Mourners lay flowers at scene where driver, 48, ‘with far-right links’ mowed down and killed two diners before shooting himself dead – as German authorities reveal attacker was ‘well known to police’ first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the simultaneous attack on an Afghanistan news agency and a Shiite cultural center in Kabul that left at least 35 dead and 56 wounded.

The terror group said in a statement through its propaganda agency that one suicide bomber wearing a vest carried out the attack along with three other bomb blasts, Reuters reported.

No U.S. troops or coalition force members were killed in the suicide attack.

The attack occurred during a panel discussion on the December 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union, Reuters reported, citing witnesses. A number of those attending the panel were students.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said an unknown number of suicide attackers set off an explosion outside the center before storming the building when they set of more explosives in the basement.

At least one suicide bomber was able to sneak into the event and sit among the participants before detonating his device, Shiite leader Abdul Hussain Ramazandada said citing witnesses.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has called the attack on a Shiite Muslim cultural center in Kabul a “crime against humanity.”

In a statement released by the presidential palace, Ghani says: “The terrorist have killed our people. The terrorists have attacked our mosques, our holy places and now our cultural center.”

He called them attacks against Islam and “all human values.”

The center is located in the Shiite-dominated Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood in the west of the capital.

Earlier this year, the Islamic State vowed to target Afghanistan’s Shiites following an attack on the Iraqi Embassy in Kabul. The jihadist militant group has since claimed responsibility for at least two attacks on Shiite mosques in the capital of Afghanistan, as well as one in the western city of Herat.

Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/12/28/several-dead-in-twin-attacks-in-afghan-capital-police-say.html

The post Islamic State claims responsibility for deadly attacks in Kabul first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The al-Rawda mosque in the town of Bir al-Abed was bombed and fleeing worshippers were then gunned down.

The Egyptian military has said it has conducted air strikes on “terrorist” targets in response.

No group has yet claimed the attack, the deadliest in recent memory.

Egyptian security forces have for years been fighting an Islamist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula, and militants affiliated with so-called Islamic State (IS) have been behind scores of deadly attacks in the desert region.

They usually target security forces and Christian churches, and the bloody attack on a mosque associated with Sufi Muslims has shocked Egypt.

“What is happening is an attempt to stop us from our efforts in the fight against terrorism,” Mr Sisi said in a televised address hours after the attack.

“The armed forces and the police will avenge our martyrs and restore security and stability with the utmost force.”

Image copyright AFP/GETTY

An army spokesman said “terrorist spots” where weapons and ammunition were reportedly stocked had been bombed by air force jets on Friday in response.

The official also said that several vehicles used in the attack had been located and destroyed.

Mr Sisi, the former head of Egypt’s armed forces, has emphasised national security and stability during his time as president.

Three days of national mourning have been declared.

What happened?

Dozens of gunmen surrounded the mosque in vehicles and opened fire on those trying to escape after bombs were set off.

The assailants are reported to have set parked vehicles on fire in the vicinity to block off access to the mosque, and they fired upon ambulances trying to help victims.

At least 100 people were wounded, reports say, overwhelming hospitals.

It is the deadliest militant attack in modern Egyptian history. Bir al-Abed is about 130 miles (211km) from Cairo.

Can Sisi curb a stubborn insurgency?

By Orla Guerin, Cairo correspondent

This is a major challenge to the Egyptian state.

If this was IS, it is always worth considering the broader regional dimension. In the last few months, IS has had massive territorial losses in Iraq and across the border in Syria.

If IS was behind this, this could be an attempt to remind supporters around the world that they are still here, still relevant and can still inflict terrible damage on their enemies.

What we don’t know right now is if the Egyptian security establishment, if President Sisi, has anything else in the arsenal to try.

He has already tried the hardline military approach – there has been a massive military operation going on in the Sinai peninsula for years. It has not delivered results that time and time again the Egyptian establishment has promised.

But it is unclear if they have something new they can try to attempt to curb this very stubborn Islamic insurgency which today has inflicted such terrible damage.

Who was targeted?

Locals are quoted as saying that followers of Sufism, a mystical branch of Sunni Islam, regularly gathered at the mosque.

Although Sufis are widely accepted across much of the Muslim world, some jihadist groups, including IS, see them as heretics.

• Egypt’s militant groups explained
• Sisi the strongman
• What is Sufism?

The head of IS’s “religious police” in Sinai said last December that Sufis who did not “repent” would be killed, after the group beheaded two elderly men reported to be Sufi clerics.

The victims of the mosque attack also included military conscripts.

The number of victims is unprecedented for an attack of this type, says the BBC’s Sally Nabil in Cairo. She adds that this is the first time that worshippers inside a mosque have been targeted by militants in North Sinai.

Image copyright EPA

Who might be behind the attack?

Militant Islamists stepped up attacks in Sinai after Egypt’s military overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi following mass anti-government protests in July 2013.

Hundreds of police, soldiers and civilians have been killed since then, mostly in attacks carried out by the Sinai Province group, which is affiliated to IS.

Sinai Province has also carried out deadly attacks against Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority elsewhere in the country, and said it was behind the bombing of a Russian plane carrying tourists in Sinai in 2015, killing 224 people on board.

• Egypt disputes desert shootout reports
• Sinai plane crash: What we know
• The IS affiliate in Sinai

It has been operating mainly in North Sinai, which has been under a state of emergency since October 2014, when 33 security personnel were killed in an attack claimed by the group.

Sinai Province is thought to want to take control of the Sinai peninsula in order to turn it into an Islamist province run by IS.

Image copyright REUTERS

Journalists, including from state-sponsored outlets, have not been allowed to report from North Sinai in the last few years.

Correspondents say that the frequency of attacks raises doubts about the effectiveness of military operations against militants.

What has the reaction been internationally?

Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit condemned the attack as a “terrifying crime which again shows that Islam is innocent of those who follow extremist terrorist ideology”.

Governments in the UK, US, France, Russia, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere have deplored the massacre.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42118994

The post Egypt attack: President Sisi pledges forceful response first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

A group of terrorists stormed the mosque in west Arish City in four off-road vehicles and opened fire on worshipers during Friday prayers after a bomb was detonated, according to eyewitnesses.

Eyewitnesses further added that militants set fire in nearby cars and blocked the road in al-Rawdah Village.

Reported by state media, the death and injury toll kept rising on Friday afternoon as more details got clarified.

Security forces and medical personnel immediately moved to the scene and halted traffic on Arish-Qantara Road, which leads to the damaged mosque, to scout the area and provide medical assistance to the injured.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi held an urgent meeting following the attack to stand on its latest developments and issue directives to contain the situation.

President Sisi, in a TV statement, strongly condemned the abhorrent terrorist attack and mourned the victims while extending his condolences to their families.

He added that Egypt will respond to this attack in “brute force against that small band of extremist terrorist”.

The Egyptian leader further added that the “cowardly” attack reflects how much inhumane the perpetrators are, asserting that this will not pass without decisive punishment and that justice will be served against everyone who participated, contributed, supported, funded or incited this attack on worshipers.

The president affirmed that the pain that the Egyptian people are experiencing at this difficult time will not go in vain and that it will fuel their determination to succeed in the war against terrorism.

The attack is considered by far one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s recent memory; it marks major escalation in Cairo’s battle against terrorism.

He emphasized that the attacks in Sinai reflect Egypt’s efforts against terrorism and that Egypt leads the fight “on its own, and on behalf of the region and the entire world.”

“All what is happening is an attempt to stop our efforts in our fight against terror and an attempt to break our will and measures in ending the terrible criminal scheme that aims to destroy what remains of the region,” Sisi added.

Addressing the Egyptian people, Sisi said, “The fight you are going through is the most noble and honorable fight of all.” He added that the state is steadfast and will continue the fight against terrorism.

Three-day state mourning was announced; meanwhile, international condemnations have been issued in numerous statements worldwide. A total of LE 200,000 ($11,300) and LE 50,000 will be dispensed to the family of each worshiper whose life has been claimed and each injured victim, respectively.

President Sisi’s words already started to come into effect as the Egyptian Air Force conducted air raids targeting terrorist hideouts in mountain areas near the mosque.

Moreover, security forces began large-scale combing operations in Arish City, expanding their inspection around the militant attack area.

The security forces questioned a number of people who witnessed the militant attack.

They intensified a state of security around al-Rawdah mosque in west Arish City where the militant attack occurred, and reinforced ambushes with a number of police elements and modern equipment.

For its part, the Ministry of Justice ordered Director of the Department of Forensic Medicine, Hisham Abdel Hamid, to send a team of forensic doctors, assistants and technicians to North Sinai hospitals, where bodies of the victims were transferred.

Investigations into the attack and its carriers are still being in progress until people who are responsible for the attack are captured and punished.

Later on Friday, the Egyptian Air Force announced that it pursued the perpetrators, destroying a number of pickups used in the atrocity and killing the “terrorists” on board.

Other “terrorist hotbeds” were also discovered and targeted in cooperation between the Air Force and forces on the ground.

A number of entities decried the attack; Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church, presided over by Pope Tawadros II, condemned the “brutal” terrorist attack.

“Egypt, with its grandeur, and long standing civilization will be eventually able to ward off such unprecedented terrorism, and Egypt will remain a strong fortress in the face of it,” the statement said. “We regretfully mourn the loss of the martyrs of our nation and our hearts go out to the families of those who are victims of this despicable tragedy while praying for a swift recovery to those who have been injured.”

For his part, Undersecretary of Al-Azhar, Abbas Shoman, emphasized that the Friday attack on the mosque is clear evidence that terrorism must not be associated with Islam and that those criminals are distant from the crux of Islam.

“If Islam is not represented by the mosque, then where else it can be found?” Shoman further denounced, adding that they must stop hiding behind the cloak of Islam.

Moreover, Grand Mufti of Egypt Shawki Allam said that the perpetrators of such deeds must be murdered or crucified; contending that the killing of innocents amounts to committing a “disobedience to Allah and spreading mischief in the land.”

Ahlmad el-Tayyeb, grand Imam of Al-Azhar and chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, also condemned the attack on a TV statement and asserted that Al-Azhar calls the whole world to stand with Egypt in its war against terrorism.

As for international condemnations regarding the attack, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, condemned the terrorist attack in a statement.

The EU statement that Egypt has been hit by a number of attacks against places of worship of all faiths over the last years, as no one should be killed because of their religion.

“I want to send, on behalf of the EU, my heartfelt condolences to the victims, their families and the Egyptian people,” Mogherini added.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker also issued statement condemning the attack. “It was with great horror and sadness that I learnt of the tragic attack on the Rawdah Mosque in Sinai. I would like to offer my most sincere condolences to the people of Egypt and to President al-Sisi,” Juncker stated.

He added that he condemns the barbaric and cowardly act in the strongest possible terms, as it targeted peaceful and innocent people in their place of worship. “Europe stands beside you in solidarity, just as you have stood with us in the past. You can count on our support,” Juncker added in his statement.

The White House condemned also condemned the attack calling on the international community to step up efforts to eliminate terrorism worldwide.

“There can be no tolerance for barbaric groups that claim to act in the name of a faith but attack houses of worship and murder the innocent and defenseless while at prayer,” read the statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump described the attack as a “horrible and cowardly terrorist attack on innocent and defenseless worshipers,” adding that the world cannot tolerate terrorism.

“We must defeat them militarily and discredit the extremist ideology that forms the basis of their existence,” Trump tweeted.

President Sisi, later on Friday, received a phone call from Trump, who offered the sincere condolences of the United States for the victims of the abhorrent terrorist attack.

During the phone call, Trump affirmed the full solidarity of the US with Egypt in its war against terrorism and its support and readiness to enhance cooperation with Egypt in this field.

President Sisi affirmed that this attack increases the determination of the Egyptian people to continue their battle against terrorism. He also stressed the importance of concerted international efforts to combat all forms of terrorism and root it out.

French President Emanuel Macron expressed France’s sincere condolences over the terror attack over a phone call to President Sisi.

The official spokesman for the presidency, Bassam Radi, said that the French president affirmed his country’s full solidarity with Egypt, pointing out France’s keenness to intensify cooperation with Egypt to combat terrorism.

The United Arab Emirates UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash also condemned the attack and affirmed that it brings about the necessity of understanding the relation between extremism and terrorism. He clarified that in order to eliminate terrorism, extremism must be fought.

Presidents of various countries, including Hungary, Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen, sent cables of condolences to President Sisi over the attack and expressed support for all measures taken by the country to eliminate terrorism.

Source: http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/34050/WRAP-UP-Arish-attack-strongly-condemned-accents-war-on-terrorism

The post WRAP-UP: Arish attack strongly condemned, accents war on terrorism first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Dozens were injured and killed in Sinai during one of the country’s deadliest attacks in recent memory, state media and eyewitnesses said.

Eyewitnesses reported ambulances ferrying casualties from the scene to nearby hospitals after the Al Rawdah mosque in Bir al-Abed, west of Arish city, was targeted.

Witnesses said bomb explosion ripped through the Rawda mosque as worshippers gathered for weekly Friday prayers.

At least a further 109 people were wounded in the attack, which is unprecedented in a four-year insurgency by Islamist extremist groups.

President Abdel Fattah al Sisi convened an emergency security meeting soon after the attack, state television reported.

Government officials have announced three days mourning.

The Islamic State group’s Egypt branch has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers, and also civilians accused of working with the authorities, in attacks in the north of the Sinai peninsula, over the years.

They have also targeted followers of the mystical Sufi branch of Sunni Islam as well as Christians.

The victims today included civilians and conscripts praying at the mosque.

A tribal leader and head of a Bedouin militia that fights IS said that the mosque is known as a place of gathering for Sufis.

The Islamic State group shares the puritan Salafi view of Sufis as heretics for seeking the intercession of saints.

The jihadists had previously kidnapped and beheaded an elderly Sufi leader, accusing him of practising magic which Islam forbids, and abducted Sufi practitioners later released after ‘repenting.’

The group has killed more than 100 Christians in church bombings and shootings in Sinai and other parts of Egypt, forcing many to flee the peninsula.

The military has struggled to quell the jihadists who pledged allegiance to IS in November 2014.

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2017/11/24/at-least-155-dead-and-80-injured-as-bomb-rips-through-mosque-in-egypt-7105847/

The post At least 235 dead after ‘militants’ set off bomb and open fire in mosque first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Eyewitnesses reported scenes of panic and chaos as the van plowed down the renowned Las Ramblas avenue in the early evening. Police said late Thursday that they are looking for the driver of the van.

“The driver abandoned the van and escaped from the area,” Catalan Police Chief Josep Lluis Trapero said.

Catalan police were treating the incident as an act of terrorism and sealed off the area. Two suspects — one from Morocco, one from the Spanish enclave of Melilla — were arrested, Trapero said.

One suspect was arrested in Alcanar, around 200 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of Barcelona.

In an incident that Trapero said is connected to the attack, one person was killed in an explosion at a house in that city. But Trapero didn’t say whether the arrest and explosion were tied to each other.

He did say the victim is Spanish and was not on police radar.

The other suspect was arrested in Ripoll, about 110 kilometers (68 miles) north of Barcelona and 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Alcanar.

Authorities said 15 of the injured were in serious condition.

One Belgian was killed in the attack, Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jose de Pierpont said.

Barcelona officials ordered all public events to be canceled, and metro and train stations in the area were closed.

Reports of the incident emerged on social media about 5 p.m. (11 a.m. ET). Photographs and videos showed people fleeing the area. About two hours later, police confirmed a terror attack.

It was the latest in a series of attacks in Europe in which vehicles have been used to mow down pedestrians in public spaces. More than 100 people have died in similar attacks in Berlin, London and Nice.

ISIS’ media wing, Amaq, said the perpetrators of the Barcelona attack were “soldiers of the Islamic State.” However, ISIS has not explicitly claimed responsibility.

Catalan police said they were continuing to hunt for the perpetrators and that the force had activated its terror response protocols. Unconfirmed reports suggested the suspects may have been attempting to reach a getaway vehicle.

Catalan police later tweeted that a driver had run over two police officers at a security checkpoint in Barcelona and that the driver had been found near the city. The two officers suffered minor injuries and did not need hospital treatment, police said. It was unclear whether that incident was related to the terror attack.

Local Spanish media earlier reported that two armed men had entered a restaurant. But Catalan police dismissed rumors the attacker had been holed up near Las Ramblas and said there “was never a hostage situation.”

As the incident unfolded, police told everyone in the vicinity of Plaça de Catalunya and Las Ramblas to remain indoors until told it was safe to go outside. Footage posted to social media by witnesses showed chaotic scenes with people lying in the street, apparently dead or injured.

Witness reports gunshots
One witness told local media the situation was “very tense” and that all surrounding shops were being evacuated. The witness said at least eight ambulances were at the scene. Emergency services said the area had been cordoned off and all public transportation stopped.

Another witness who was hiding in a shop nearby heard gunshots, according to state-run broadcaster TVE24. A third said he saw a van driving “around 80” kph, or 50 mph. He said “there is no doubt it was intentional,” according to TVE24.

Ali Shirazinia, who was cycling alongside Las Ramblas at the time, told CNN he heard “a lot of screams” and saw the crowds of people split along the busy promenade.

Then he heard what sounded like the driver flooring the accelerator and saw a white van with blue markings come hurtling down the street. “It literally came right down the Ramblas and ran into people on every side,” he said.

“The Ramblas is full of pedestrians, street merchants, street performers, and I saw people flying into the air and everyone was running into the shops on either side of the Ramblas, a lot of people were shocked.”

Tourist Susan McClean told CNN she saw a “tidal wave” of people running away from Las Ramblas after the incident.

She ducked into a nearby shop and the shutters were pulled down while police sped toward the scene.

“There was clearly a lot of distress,” she said.

McClean said she returned to her hotel one street away after leaving the shop.

Government officials respond
The Catalan regional government said it was holding an emergency meeting to discuss the incident.

The Catalan emergency services urged people via Twitter to avoid going out or undertaking any other type of movement that is not “strictly necessary” to facilitate police operations.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tweeted: “The terrorists will never defeat a united people who love freedom versus barbarism. All of Spain is with the families and their victims.”

The Spanish royal family tweeted: “They are assassins, simply criminals who are not going to terrorize us. All of Spain is Barcelona. Las Ramblas will return to be everyone’s.”

The Union of Islamic Communities of Catalonia expressed “condemnation and repulse” for the Barcelona attack.

“Faced with this criminal fact, the union of Islamic communities in Catalonia reiterates its full commitment to the fight against any type of terrorism, and it is expected that those responsible for these attacks may be detained and brought before the courts as early as possible,” its statement said.

NATO chief: We stand united
World leaders were quick to voice their condemnation of the attack and offer support to Barcelona via Twitter.

“My thoughts are with all those affected. We stand united in the fight against terrorism,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

US President Donald Trump said: “The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also gave his support, saying: “London stands with Barcelona against the evil of terrorism.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the attack in Barcelona “revolting,” her spokesman tweeted. “We are mourning the victims of this disgusting attack in Barcelona — in solidarity and friendship side by side with the Spanish.”

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker branded the Barcelona attack “cowardly,” adding: “We will never be cowed by such barbarism.”

Las Ramblas is a predominantly pedestrianized street popular among tourists in Barcelona. Extending for about three-quarters of a mile through the center of the city, the tree-lined street is especially crowded in the summer, the height of tourist season.

The promenade passes by kiosks, flower sellers, pavement cafes and bars. It includes a number of the city’s most popular sites.

CNN’s Vasco Cotovio, Steve Almasy, Hilary McGann, Claudia Rebaza, Laura Goehler, Duarte Mendonca, David Valenzuela and Julia Jones contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/17/europe/barcelona-las-ramblas-van-hits-crowd/index.html

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