Islamic State – The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters have left behind mounds of hair after shaving off their beards and dressing as women to flee to the West it was reported on the 17 Oct 15. According to the Daily Star, a photo on Twitter posted by an Iraqi journalist showed huge mounds of shavings in the Syrian city of Aleppo. There were discarded packets of razors among the mounts of facial hair. The journalist tweeted that the ISIS fighters shaved off so they escape clean shaven to Turkey. According to the anti-ISIS resistance, some freshly-shaved jihadists are dressing up in women's robes and veils in a bid to get away. The terror network's fighters all sport shaggy beards and shaving or cutting facial hair is haram (forbidden) under the strict Sharia law of ISIS. The mass departure of ISIS jihadi has been sparked by the crushing of strongholds of the group by Russian fighter jets. Moscow security services claim thousands of terrorists have downed their weapons and fled to Turkey from where they may try to head to Europe as refugees.
The brutal jihadi group ISIS have become so desperate for suicide bombers, they have now started to train up an all-women battalion of bombers in Syria it was reported on the 26 Oct 15. Activists from the human rights group 'Syria is being Slaughtered Silently' claim that sources inside the ISIS held city of Raqqa learnt the jihadis have turned to women to carry out training for deadly attacks. An Egyptian woman was offered her a large amount of money and the promise to 'go to your husband in heaven' if she became a ISIS suicide bomber. It is thought the new jihadi bride suicide squad will be trained up to carry out deadly bomb attacks as the jihadi group believe women are less likely to arouse suspicion. The activist group also suggested that it is unlikely ISIS will use foreign jihadi brides from the notorious al-Khansaa brigades, who patrol the streets of Raqqa. The propaganda success of the al-Khansaa brigades, which are thought to include several British women including ex rocker Sally Jones, are a key part of ISIS's terrifying image. Due to the value of foreign women in ISIS held territory, the jihadi group have been targeting Arab women to make up the new suicide battalion, having run low of teenagers. The activist group's report also cited a woman known only as Farah, who is from Raqqa. She claims an ISIS woman approached her and hinted ISIS needed women for 'battles to protect Raqqa'. Farah was told that the defence of Raqqa was part of her 'duty to the city'. 'The conversation of this woman started to evolve trying to convince me to join ISIS , but what more surprised me was that she asked me to join a new women battalion of ISIS and their mission is not to fight , but to carry out a suicidal operations being the enemy of ISIS,' she said. 'They (the enemy) won't expect that a woman would do such an operation,' Farah was told. The ISIS recruiter also told Farah that the jihadi group would 'take care of her family after her death and will give them a large sum of money before the implementation of the operation.' 'Alkhansa'a battalion has a bad reputation among the civilians, and it is a nightmare for the women in Raqqa city as a result for the practices they do to provoke people for personal reasons,' activist Abu Mohammed wrote. The activist claimed that some of the women who joined al-Khansaa battalion used to work in prostitution before the arrival of ISIS and 'joined to get high salaries' or avoid being stoned. The female suicide squad suggests ISIS's fears for its defence of the city of Raqqa with an large forthcoming Kurdish-led offensive expected soon. Trenches and gun installations have been added as the jihadis have been busy shoring up its defences for the city.
Iran – Two Iranians were killed late 16 Oct 15 in a shooting attack on Shiite worshipers marking Ashura, one of the holiest commemorations of the faith, the official IRNA news agency reported on the 17 Oct 15. Two people were also wounded in the attack in the town of Dezful in Khuzestan province, the news agency said. The south-western province, which borders Iraq, has a significant ethnic Arab community, some of it Sunni, and has seen a number of armed attacks in recent years, according to Iranian media. The assailants opened fire on the Shiite place of worship from a car carrying no license plates. "It's not still clear whether the attack was a terrorist one," provincial police official Colonel Rahman Mousavi said. Ashura commemorations -- which climax on October 24 -- mark the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, by the army of the Caliph Yazid in 680 AD. That event lies at the heart of Islam's divide into Shiite and Sunni sects.
Iran/Syria – An Iranian official says the Revolutionary Guard has sent more military advisers to Syria to help President Bashar Assad in the fight against insurgents it was reported on the 27 Oct 15. Gen. Hossein Salami, the Guard's deputy leader, says this has led to more Iranian deaths in the conflict. Salami didn't give any specifics for the Iranian death toll or for the number of troops dispatched. Salami spoke to state television on the 27 Oct. He says Iranian forces are also trying to mobilize volunteers in Syria to help Assad push back rebels, though he did not say if those included Western-backed rebel groups fighting in Syria. Along with Russia, Iran is a key Assad ally and has provided his government with military and political backing for years. Tehran, however, denies the presence of Iranian combat troops in Syria.
Palestine/Israel – Three Palestinians who attacked Jews with knives in separate incidents have been killed, Israeli forces say. In the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, an Israeli settler shot dead a youth and a female Israeli soldier shot dead a woman. In East Jerusalem, police reported that a Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces when he tried to stab a soldier at a checkpoint. Violence between the two sides has recently spiralled. There have been near-daily stabbings by Palestinians of Israelis this month. In the incidents reported on the 17 Oct 15 the female soldier suffered minor injuries while the soldier in East Jerusalem and the settler who were attacked were unhurt, police said. Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in the stabbings and some gun attacks. At least 40 Palestinians, including several of the attackers, have been killed in the growing unrest. The upsurge in violence began last month when tensions at a flashpoint holy site in East Jerusalem revered by Jews and Muslims boiled over amid rumours Israel planned to relax long-standing rules to strengthen Jewish rights at the complex. Israel has repeatedly denied such claims. Is this a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising? There have been two organised uprisings by Palestinians against Israeli occupation, in the 1980s and early 2000s. With peace talks moribund, some observers have questioned whether we are now seeing a third. The stabbing attacks seem to be opportunistic and although they have been praised by militant groups, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said Palestinians are not interested in a further escalation. 361 COMMENT: In the past we have seen numerous suicide attacks on Israeli civilian targets; this new wave of attacks must be being inspired by someone or some group. There are too many to be random. It is easier to influence or radicalise a person to carry out an attack using a knife and much cheaper. The person conducting the attack then chooses suicide by Israeli Security Forces. The individuals will also be seen and feel as though they are carrying out attacks on Israel on behalf of the occupation. Similar to the suicide people they can strike quickly and effectively. The individual can pass through checkpoints easier due to no incumbent vest. These attacks are likely to continue and in the process wear the Israeli Security Forces down as they have to be more vigilant. COMMENT ENDS
Israel/Palestine – Hundreds of Palestinian rioters attempted to set fire to the Joseph's Tomb compound in Nablus on the morning of the 16 Oct 15 according to reports by Israel radio. The crowds were dispersed and the fire was brought under control by Palestinian police before IDF forces could arrive on the scene. The religious site suffered severe damage in the fire. There were no reports of injuries. The IDF said that it will repair the site in order to allow worshipers to enter. Furthermore, the military's statement said that this incident is being viewed with the utmost severity, adding that it will work to identify and stop the arsonists.
Saudi Arabia – Five people were killed after a gunman opened fire on a Shiite Muslim meeting hall on the 16 Oct 15 in the Eastern city of Saihat, Al Arabiya News Channel correspondent reported. Shortly after the attack, in which six people were also wounded, Saudi security forces said they killed the attacker and arrested two suspects linked with the incident. Meanwhile, the Saudi-owned television channel Al Ekhbariya TV had quoted sources as saying that the “person who opened fire on a husseiniya was killed, and the attacker was in his twenties.” The channel said the motive remained unclear. This is not the first time a Shiite site was targeted in the kingdom this year. In August, a suicide bomber killed at least 15 people in an attack on a mosque used by members of a local security force in southwest Saudi Arabia. In May, a suicide bomber blew himself up during Friday prayers at a mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh in eastern Saudi Arabia, killing at least 21 and wounding 81 others. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group claimed responsibility for both attacks.
At least three people were killed and 19 others were wounded on the 26 Oct 15 after a suicide bomber targeted worshipers who were exiting a mosque after finishing their prayers in the Saudi city of Najran, close to the Yemeni frontier, Al Arabiya News Channel reported. Initial reports said the attacker targeted the worshipers inside al-Mashhad mosque in the south-western city but the Saudi interior ministry said the incident took place at the courtyard of the mosque. Further information about the perpetrators behind the deadly incident was not given. The interior ministry confirmed a blast had occurred but had no immediate details. "A person went to the mosque and did an explosion," a spokesman said. A television report did not specify whether the mosque belonged to the kingdom's Sunni majority or the Shiite minority. But roughly half of Najran's population belongs to the Ismaili Shiite community. Most of Saudi Arabia's Shiites live in Eastern Province, where they have been targeted four times in the past year by bombings and shootings linked to the Islamic State group of Sunni extremists. The latest attack in the east occurred on the 16 Oct 15 when a gunman fired on Shiites commemorating Ashura in the Qatif area.
The brutal jihadi group ISIS have become so desperate for suicide bombers, they have now started to train up an all-women battalion of bombers in Syria it was reported on the 26 Oct 15. Activists from the human rights group 'Syria is being Slaughtered Silently' claim that sources inside the ISIS held city of Raqqa learnt the jihadis have turned to women to carry out training for deadly attacks. An Egyptian woman was offered her a large amount of money and the promise to 'go to your husband in heaven' if she became a ISIS suicide bomber. It is thought the new jihadi bride suicide squad will be trained up to carry out deadly bomb attacks as the jihadi group believe women are less likely to arouse suspicion. The activist group also suggested that it is unlikely ISIS will use foreign jihadi brides from the notorious al-Khansaa brigades, who patrol the streets of Raqqa. The propaganda success of the al-Khansaa brigades, which are thought to include several British women including ex rocker Sally Jones, are a key part of ISIS's terrifying image. Due to the value of foreign women in ISIS held territory, the jihadi group have been targeting Arab women to make up the new suicide battalion, having run low of teenagers. The activist group's report also cited a woman known only as Farah, who is from Raqqa. She claims an ISIS woman approached her and hinted ISIS needed women for 'battles to protect Raqqa'. Farah was told that the defence of Raqqa was part of her 'duty to the city'. 'The conversation of this woman started to evolve trying to convince me to join ISIS , but what more surprised me was that she asked me to join a new women battalion of ISIS and their mission is not to fight , but to carry out a suicidal operations being the enemy of ISIS,' she said. 'They (the enemy) won't expect that a woman would do such an operation,' Farah was told. The ISIS recruiter also told Farah that the jihadi group would 'take care of her family after her death and will give them a large sum of money before the implementation of the operation.' 'Alkhansa'a battalion has a bad reputation among the civilians, and it is a nightmare for the women in Raqqa city as a result for the practices they do to provoke people for personal reasons,' activist Abu Mohammed wrote. The activist claimed that some of the women who joined al-Khansaa battalion used to work in prostitution before the arrival of ISIS and 'joined to get high salaries' or avoid being stoned. The female suicide squad suggests ISIS's fears for its defence of the city of Raqqa with an large forthcoming Kurdish-led offensive expected soon. Trenches and gun installations have been added as the jihadis have been busy shoring up its defences for the city.
Iran – Two Iranians were killed late 16 Oct 15 in a shooting attack on Shiite worshipers marking Ashura, one of the holiest commemorations of the faith, the official IRNA news agency reported on the 17 Oct 15. Two people were also wounded in the attack in the town of Dezful in Khuzestan province, the news agency said. The south-western province, which borders Iraq, has a significant ethnic Arab community, some of it Sunni, and has seen a number of armed attacks in recent years, according to Iranian media. The assailants opened fire on the Shiite place of worship from a car carrying no license plates. "It's not still clear whether the attack was a terrorist one," provincial police official Colonel Rahman Mousavi said. Ashura commemorations -- which climax on October 24 -- mark the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, by the army of the Caliph Yazid in 680 AD. That event lies at the heart of Islam's divide into Shiite and Sunni sects.
Iran/Syria – An Iranian official says the Revolutionary Guard has sent more military advisers to Syria to help President Bashar Assad in the fight against insurgents it was reported on the 27 Oct 15. Gen. Hossein Salami, the Guard's deputy leader, says this has led to more Iranian deaths in the conflict. Salami didn't give any specifics for the Iranian death toll or for the number of troops dispatched. Salami spoke to state television on the 27 Oct. He says Iranian forces are also trying to mobilize volunteers in Syria to help Assad push back rebels, though he did not say if those included Western-backed rebel groups fighting in Syria. Along with Russia, Iran is a key Assad ally and has provided his government with military and political backing for years. Tehran, however, denies the presence of Iranian combat troops in Syria.
Palestine/Israel – Three Palestinians who attacked Jews with knives in separate incidents have been killed, Israeli forces say. In the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, an Israeli settler shot dead a youth and a female Israeli soldier shot dead a woman. In East Jerusalem, police reported that a Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces when he tried to stab a soldier at a checkpoint. Violence between the two sides has recently spiralled. There have been near-daily stabbings by Palestinians of Israelis this month. In the incidents reported on the 17 Oct 15 the female soldier suffered minor injuries while the soldier in East Jerusalem and the settler who were attacked were unhurt, police said. Seven Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in the stabbings and some gun attacks. At least 40 Palestinians, including several of the attackers, have been killed in the growing unrest. The upsurge in violence began last month when tensions at a flashpoint holy site in East Jerusalem revered by Jews and Muslims boiled over amid rumours Israel planned to relax long-standing rules to strengthen Jewish rights at the complex. Israel has repeatedly denied such claims. Is this a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising? There have been two organised uprisings by Palestinians against Israeli occupation, in the 1980s and early 2000s. With peace talks moribund, some observers have questioned whether we are now seeing a third. The stabbing attacks seem to be opportunistic and although they have been praised by militant groups, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said Palestinians are not interested in a further escalation. 361 COMMENT: In the past we have seen numerous suicide attacks on Israeli civilian targets; this new wave of attacks must be being inspired by someone or some group. There are too many to be random. It is easier to influence or radicalise a person to carry out an attack using a knife and much cheaper. The person conducting the attack then chooses suicide by Israeli Security Forces. The individuals will also be seen and feel as though they are carrying out attacks on Israel on behalf of the occupation. Similar to the suicide people they can strike quickly and effectively. The individual can pass through checkpoints easier due to no incumbent vest. These attacks are likely to continue and in the process wear the Israeli Security Forces down as they have to be more vigilant. COMMENT ENDS
Israel/Palestine – Hundreds of Palestinian rioters attempted to set fire to the Joseph's Tomb compound in Nablus on the morning of the 16 Oct 15 according to reports by Israel radio. The crowds were dispersed and the fire was brought under control by Palestinian police before IDF forces could arrive on the scene. The religious site suffered severe damage in the fire. There were no reports of injuries. The IDF said that it will repair the site in order to allow worshipers to enter. Furthermore, the military's statement said that this incident is being viewed with the utmost severity, adding that it will work to identify and stop the arsonists.
Saudi Arabia – Five people were killed after a gunman opened fire on a Shiite Muslim meeting hall on the 16 Oct 15 in the Eastern city of Saihat, Al Arabiya News Channel correspondent reported. Shortly after the attack, in which six people were also wounded, Saudi security forces said they killed the attacker and arrested two suspects linked with the incident. Meanwhile, the Saudi-owned television channel Al Ekhbariya TV had quoted sources as saying that the “person who opened fire on a husseiniya was killed, and the attacker was in his twenties.” The channel said the motive remained unclear. This is not the first time a Shiite site was targeted in the kingdom this year. In August, a suicide bomber killed at least 15 people in an attack on a mosque used by members of a local security force in southwest Saudi Arabia. In May, a suicide bomber blew himself up during Friday prayers at a mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh in eastern Saudi Arabia, killing at least 21 and wounding 81 others. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group claimed responsibility for both attacks.
At least three people were killed and 19 others were wounded on the 26 Oct 15 after a suicide bomber targeted worshipers who were exiting a mosque after finishing their prayers in the Saudi city of Najran, close to the Yemeni frontier, Al Arabiya News Channel reported. Initial reports said the attacker targeted the worshipers inside al-Mashhad mosque in the south-western city but the Saudi interior ministry said the incident took place at the courtyard of the mosque. Further information about the perpetrators behind the deadly incident was not given. The interior ministry confirmed a blast had occurred but had no immediate details. "A person went to the mosque and did an explosion," a spokesman said. A television report did not specify whether the mosque belonged to the kingdom's Sunni majority or the Shiite minority. But roughly half of Najran's population belongs to the Ismaili Shiite community. Most of Saudi Arabia's Shiites live in Eastern Province, where they have been targeted four times in the past year by bombings and shootings linked to the Islamic State group of Sunni extremists. The latest attack in the east occurred on the 16 Oct 15 when a gunman fired on Shiites commemorating Ashura in the Qatif area.
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