Two rockets have hit the Russian
Embassy in the Syrian capital as pro-government supporters gathered
outside to thank Moscow for its intervention in Syria.
Reports said the first shell hit a building in the compound, sparking
a panic. As people began to flee, another shell hit the area.
The Russian Embassy said there were no casualties among its staff.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the attack an act of terrorism.
AFP says some 300 people were gathered outside the embassy in Damascus at the time of the attack.
Opposition fighters in the suburbs of the capital have targeted the
embassy in the past, but it was not clear if the attack on October 13
targeted the rally.
The head of Syria's Al-Nusra Front, an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, urged
retaliation on October 12 for what he said was the indiscriminate
killing of Sunni Muslims by invading Russians.
Russia began launching air strikes against insurgents in Syria on September 30.
SOCHI, Russia/AMMAN
(Reuters) - Russian warplanes pounded Syrian rebels unaffiliated with
Islamic State on Sunday, insurgents said, helping Moscow's ally Bashar
al-Assad reclaim territory and dealing a fresh setback to the strategy
of Washington and its allies.
President Vladimir Putin - who has infuriated Assad's enemies
in the United States, Europe, Turkey and the Arab world by bombing the
rebels to protect him - reached out to one of the Syrian leader's
fiercest opponents by meeting the powerful defense minister of Saudi
Arabia.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that monitors
the 4-year-old conflict, said the Syrian military and its Lebanese
Hezbollah militia allies had taken control of Tal Skik, a highland area
in Idlib province, after fierce Russian bombing.
That brings Syrian government forces closer to insurgent-held
positions along the main highway that links Syria's principal cities.
The area is held by a rebel alliance that excludes Islamic State
fighters.
"The coming battles are going to be ferocious, the Russians are
using scorched earth policy and they are hitting the targets very
accurately but this is a battle of destiny," said Abu Hamed, the head of
the military bureau of Jabhat Sham, an insurgent group that operates
mainly in Hama province.
The Syrian army made advances from the towns of Mourek and
Atshan in Hama province using tanks, heavy artillery and new
surface-to-surface missiles, he said.
Russia said its planes had flown 64 sorties, striking 63
targets and destroying 53 fortified positions in the previous 24 hours.
As in the past, it described all targets as belonging to Islamic State,
although most of the areas it said it had struck are not held by that
group.
Syrian state television also reported that the government had captured Tal Skik with the help of Russian air strikes.
However, the advance came at a cost, with the Observatory and a
Lebanese television station reporting that a senior Hezbollah commander
had been killed fighting on the Syrian government side.
In recent days, Russia has dramatically intensified its
10-day-old bombing campaign. Moscow says it is targeting the Islamic
State militant group, but most of its strikes have hit other rebel
factions fighting against Assad, some of which have the support of Gulf
Arab powers, Turkey or the United States.
The Russian bombing has been accompanied by a major advance by
Syrian government forces, backed by thousands of Lebanese Hezbollah
militiamen and hundreds of Iranian troops.
Putin's meeting with Riyadh's Defence Minister Mohammed bin
Salman, a son of the Saudi king and leading figure in its regional
security policy, was the Kremlin's boldest move to reach out to Assad's
foes since launching the strikes.
After the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of a
Formula One Grand Prix race in the Russian resort of Sochi, Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow had sought to assuage Riyadh's
concerns. Both sides shared the objective of preventing a "terrorist
caliphate" from taking root in Syria, he said.
Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia, which along
with other Arab states has joined a U.S.-led coalition bombing Islamic
State in Syria and Iraq, was still demanding Assad's removal from power.
He hoped talks with Russia would continue.
Putin also met Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, who holds a senior post in the armed forces of the United Arab
Emirates, another rich Gulf state hostile to Assad.
Source: World news Report
Turkey, a NATO member that has accused Russian aircraft of
violating its air space during the bombing campaign, said Syrian jets
and missile systems had harassed its fighter planes at the border on
Saturday in the latest incident.
Moscow said its officials had held a second video conference
with counterparts from the United States to ensure safety as the former
Cold War foes both fly combat missions in the same air space for the
first time since World War Two.
OBAMA POLICY UPENDED
The Russian intervention has upended the strategy of the U.S.
administration of President Barack Obama, which has led a separate
bombing campaign against Islamic State for a year but failed to
establish strong ties with fighters on the ground.
Washington and Moscow say they have the same enemy in Islamic
State, the world's most violent jihadist group, which has set up a
caliphate in much of eastern Syria and northern Iraq. But they have very
different friends.
Washington and its European and Middle Eastern allies say the
Syrian president should step down in any peace deal, while Moscow says
his government should be the centerpiece of international efforts to
fight extremism.
Washington has announced in recent days that it is abandoning a
failed effort to train "moderate" rebel groups opposed to both Assad
and Islamic State. Other rebels fighting against Assad are equipped and
trained by Washington's Arab allies and range from secular nationalists
to Islamist militants affiliated with al Qaeda.
Moscow accuses Washington of effectively siding with other
militants that are no different from Islamic State; Washington says the
Russian campaign helps Islamic State by targeting its rivals.
In recent days, Islamic State fighters have taken advantage of
the Russian attacks on rival rebel groups to advance near Aleppo in the
north of Syria, the Observatory and sources on the ground say. The
Observatory said there was fighting on Sunday between Islamic State and
other rebels in that area, although no change in positions since
Saturday.
In neighboring Iraq, the army said it had struck a convoy
carrying Islamic State's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to a meeting of
Islamic State figures. Local residents in the town of Karabla near the
Syrian border said eight Islamic State leaders had been killed in an air
strike, but Baghdadi did not appear to be one of them.
The Iraqi air force claims to have successfully targeted the convoy of the Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
In a statement, the military said it had hit the convoy in an air raid, adding that his fate remains unknown.
The Iraqi military said: "Iraqi air forces have bombed the convoy of
the terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi while he was heading to Karabla to
attend a meeting with Daesh commanders."
The military said the location of the planned Isis meeting was also
bombed, and that "many of the group's leaders were killed or wounded".
It said the fate of al-Baghdadi was "unknown". "He was carried away
by a vehicle. His health condition is still unclear," the statement
said.
A Twitter site which publishes statements from Islamic State said "rumours" that an air strike had targeted Baghdadi were false.
Hospital officials and local residents later told the Reuters news
agency that at least eight senior figures from Isis were killed in the
air strikes on the meeting, which struck two houses in the Anbar
province of Iraq.
Similar claims of attacks targeting the figurehead for the military
group have been made before. It was reported that al-Baghdadi was
injured in an air strike in April this year, prompting speculation that
he would be forced to step down.
In mid-May, the leader re-emerged in a new audio recording,
apparently alive and well, calling on "every Muslim in every place" to
join Isis or take up arms. Analysts at the time said it was clear that
the release was aimed at dispelling rumours al-Baghdadi had been
incapacitated or replaced.
Born in Samarra in 1971, al-Baghdadi was radicalised after the
American invasion of Iraq and spent time in Camp Bucca, the main US-run
prison in the country after Abu Ghraib.
He rose through the ranks of al-Qaeda upon his release, until the
outbreak of the Syrian civil war presented him with new opportunities as
the leader of a revamped "Islamic State of Iraq".
Since Isis's dramatic rise, al-Baghdadi has become one of the US's
most-wanted terror targets - though the bounty on his head remains lower
than that of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda leader who cast him aside
when that group denounced Isis.
A yet to be identified substance exploded on Sunday afternoon at Number 88 Oworo Road, in Oworonsoki area of Lagos State.
The incident according to eyewitness, occurred at about 2 15 pm, when
Christian faithful were just returning to their different destinations
after the day’s service.
At press time, it could not be ascertained if there was any casualty,
as confusion took over the entire area following the sudden explosion.
However, many sustained different kinds of injury in an attempt to escape from the scene.
Director, Lagos Fire Service, Mr. Rasaq Fadipe, who confirmed the
incident, said immediately they received the distressed call at about 2
20pm, men of the Ilupeju Fire Service were dispatched to the area to
bring the fire situation under control.
Fadipe also could not confirm immediately if the explosion was a bomb or otherwise.
“We are still investigating the incidence to determine the immediate or remotes cause of the explosion, ” he said.
An attempt by a passenger to smuggle 23 wraps containing
$US34,000 has been foiled by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
(NDLEA), the agency’s Head of Public Affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell, said in a
press statement. The suspect, Ozoh Ikenna, was arrested at the
Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, on his way to
Brazil. The money was detected during the screening of passengers for an
Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi packed in wraps and concealed in his
boxer shorts.
NDLEA airport commander, Ahmadu Garba said that
the arrest was facilitated by a scanning machine. “We also conducted a
follow-up operation where one Ogbo Emmanuel who gave Ozoh the $34,000
dollars was arrested,” he stated.
Investigation by the Assets and
Financial Investigation Directorate headed by Mrs Victoria Egbase
revealed that the suspects were involved in the laundering of
substantial amounts of illicit drug proceeds.
“We were able to
trace over two hundred and twenty-six million Naira (N226,000,000) to
one bank account belonging to the second suspect, Ogbo Emmanuel,” she
said. “The account name is Eternal God International Limited”. Ogbo
Emmanuel hails from Umunya in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra
State. After his primary and secondary education, he travelled to
Onitsha to learn the automobile parts business. In 1996, he relocated to
Lagos. In 2005, he left Nigeria for Gambia in search of greener
pastures. While in Gambia, he travelled to Germany twice to purchase
fairly used electronics. He returned to Lagos in 2008 and has been
dealing in cosmetic business at the Trade Fair Complex.
In his
statement, Ozoh said that he was only a courier. “I [have lived] in
Brazil since 2008,” he stated. “I was paid to smuggle the $34,000 to
Brazil. They promised to pay me five per cent. I agreed to smuggle the
money to alleviate my financial hardship. I could not swallow the wraps
so I decided to hide it in my underpants.” It was also discovered
that suspected drug proceeds were regularly deposited in the said bank
account by members of an international drug cell that smuggles cocaine
from South America to West Africa. Investigations also revealed that the
cosmetic business of Ogbo Emmanuel at the Trade Fair Complex Lagos was a
mere hoax, as his sales records did not justify the large inflow of
money into his bank account. A Hyundai Tucson Jeep was seized as an
exhibit during the raid operation.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said that the agency was strategically targeting criminal wealth.
“Asset
forfeiture is one of the effective ways of responding to organised
crime threats,” he stated. “We are working assiduously to trace and
confiscate criminal wealth of drug syndicates. Strategic efforts are
on-going to prevent the entry of drug proceeds into legitimate economy
and criminal financing.”
The NDLEA boss assured members of the
public that in view of the overwhelming evidence linking the money to
narcotics, the agency will diligently prosecute the suspects. Effort is
also being made to apprehend other members of the drug cell.
While Russian cruise missiles were
flying over Iran towards targets in Syria on Wednesday, Iran's Supreme
Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was delivering a strongly worded speech
ruling out the need for further political dialogue with the US.
"Talking to the US will not hold any benefits for us," he told an audience of Revolutionary Guards. "On the contrary, it will be extremely detrimental."
It
may not be a complete coincidence that the Ayatollah was addressing
members of the Guards, the very same organisation now believed to be
playing a key role in planning and supporting Russia's Syrian
intervention.
To young Iranians buoyed up by the nuclear deal and already looking forward to the prospect of their country opening up to the West, the Ayatollah's remarks came as a blow.
But in the context of President Putin's latest moves, they seem less surprising.
Russia joining the war in Syria is a major boost to Iran's involvement in Syria.
It also adds weight to Iran's position as a key power in the Middle East.
For
much of the past 15 months, there have been repeated sightings of the
powerful Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani apparently
shuttling between Damascus, Baghdad and Tehran.
It
is now established that he has been playing a key role in setting up
and supporting the Shia militia groups battling so-called Islamic State
(IS) fighters in Iraq.
The recapture of the city of Tikrit from
IS after a year of occupation marked a successful example of joint
military action involving the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the mainly
Shia militias and the Iraqi army.
In Syria too, Iranian support for the army and militia groups, including Tehran's ally Hezbollah, seems to be an open secret.
The Iranian media regularly report funerals of Revolutionary Guards commanders killed in Syria as well as Iraq.
And
this summer's flood of refugees and migrants into Europe has included
many young Afghan Hazaras, who have described to BBC Persian how they
were recruited by Iran into special Shia militia brigades and sent to
the front line in Syria.
Their stories back up claims widely reported and pictured on social media this year.
In July, Gen Soleimani apparently resurfaced in Russia where reports
- neither confirmed nor denied by Tehran and Moscow - said he was
beginning to put in place the plans that led to this week's Russian
offensive. Image caption
Maj Gen Qasem Soleimani is thought to have held talks with the Russians
Qasem Soleimani:
Born: 11 March 1957
Since
1998 he has been commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' elite
Quds Force, reporting directly to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei.
Has emerged from a lifetime in the shadows directing covert operations abroad to achieve almost celebrity status in Iran.
Since 2012 he has helped bolster the Syrian government, a key Iranian ally, during the Syrian civil war.
Also
assisted in the command of combined Iraqi government and Shia militia
forces that advanced against so-called Islamic State.
Visited Moscow in July to discuss possible Russian military intervention in Syria. Gen Qasem Soleimani: Iran’s rising star
There has been no official comment from Tehran so far on the Russian operation.
But
the tone of Iranian media reporting about it has been overwhelmingly
positive, with much stress on the fact that it is happening as part of a
joint coalition against IS, along with Iran, Iraq and Syria.
Russia's intervention means Iran is no longer the only foreign state to have militarily intervened in support of Bashar Assad. Image caption
President Rouhani is said to want a closer relationship with the US
It can now claim to be part of a major new military alliance with a former world superpower as an ally.
From
the Iranian perspective, Russian intervention opens up a new
possibility to challenge the US-dominated world order - something Iran's
hardliners have dreamed of for decades.
But they are not the only ones celebrating Russia's intervention.
According
to Ahmad Naqibzadeh, a professor of international relations at Tehran
University, it's a development that also suits moderate politicians.
For
them, he explains, Russia's decision to back Bashar Assad and attack
all the groups opposing him means it's more likely all sides in the
Syrian conflict will eventually have to come to the table - without
pre-conditions - to find a political solution to the conflict.
"Convincing
the West to stop insisting on the removal of Bashar Assad from power
would be a victory for Iranian foreign policy and would then facilitate
the normalisation of ties between Iran and the West," he told the BBC.
'Eternal enemy'
According
to Mr Naqibzadeh, key policymakers around Iran's President Rouhani are
also hoping the Russian campaign might actually bring the US and Iran
closer together.
In a bid to persuade Iran not to throw
everything behind Russia, they think the US could adopt a more
conciliatory policy, he explains, and this would give Iran the
opportunity the moderates are looking for to break out of the current
isolation.
Judging by Ayatollah Khamenei's latest remarks, rapprochement with the US is the last thing on his mind.
An
Iranian academic close to President Rouhani, and speaking to the BBC on
condition of anonymity, says the idea of normalising ties between Iran
and the US is something that deeply worries the Ayatollah. Image caption
Iran's Supreme Leader is thought to be less sure about normalising ties with the US
"He believes the Americans are waiting for an 'Iran
without Khamenei' in order to take Iran completely into their camp," the
academic said.
The Ayatollah is the ultimate decision-maker in
Iran's foreign policy, and he has made clear that he sees the US as an
eternal enemy.
But the irony is not lost on many observers both
inside and outside the country, that in order to combat one old enemy,
the US, and to rescue his Syrian ally, Mr Khamenei is now turning to
Russia, a country with which Iran shares a much longer history of
adversity.
In the coming months, Iranians will be watching to see
if the Ayatollah's gamble pays off, or whether Mr Putin's entry into the
fray will draw Iran and its allies even deeper into the Syrian
quagmire.
Two explosions at a peace
rally in the Turkish capital Ankara have killed at least 30 people, the
interior ministry says. Another 126 have been injured.
TV footage shows scenes of panic and people lying on the ground covered in blood, amid protest banners.
The blasts took place near the city's central train station as people gathered for a march organised by leftists groups.
The pro-Kurdish HDP party was among those attending the rally.
Government
officials say the blasts were a terrorist attack and are investigating
reports that a suicide bomber was behind at least one of the explosions.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is being briefed by the interior and health ministers, state news agency Anadolu says.
The leader of the HDP has blamed the state for the attack, and cancelled all election rallies.
The HDP was among those joining Saturday's rally for
"peace and democracy", called for by the confederation of trades
unions, which was due to start at 12:00 local time.
The party tweeted that there were "numerous dead and injured", and that police "attacked" people carrying the injured away.
Local
resident Emre told the BBC that he heard two separate explosions and
saw a number of dead bodies. Angry people tried to attack police cars,
he said. An HDP rally in the city of Diyarbakir was bombed in June, ahead of general elections.
Turkey
is holding another election next month, and the BBC's Mark Lowen in
Istanbul says it was feared that another similar attack was imminent.
The HDP entered parliament for the first time in June's inconclusive elections. A suicide bombing by suspected Islamic State militants on a gathering of Socialist youth activists in the town of Suruc on the Syrian border killed at least 30 people in July.
A
ceasefire between the Kurdish militant group the PKK and Turkey's
government later broke down, and there have been regular attacks from
both sides since then.
Nigerians living in the northeast region and other parts of the country have been asked to keep a lookout for cluster bombs.
A statement issued by the Acting Director Defence Information, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, says that the Nigerian Army engineers serving in Adamawa State have recovered some caches of these bombs in recent time.
The statement added that the military high command has discovered that the Boko Haram terrorists in the areas have used such lethal instruments over time.
According to Colonel Abubakar, for easy identification, it is important to note that cluster bombs are bombs that house ‘submunitions’, that is, smaller explosives contained in individual cases.
The bombs are used against large areas containing many targets, such as columns of vehicles, marketplaces, places of worship or large troop concentration as the case may be.
The Northern States Governors’ Forum has inaugurated a committee to
search for sponsors of the Boko Haram sect as well as prosecute them.
The Chairman of the Forum, Governor Kashim Shettima who inaugurated
the committee at Kaduna State House, Kawo, on Friday, also said the days
of the sect are numbered considering the dislodgement of its members
from their strongholds by the military.
Shettima said the committee which would operate under the aegis of
the Committee of Attorneys-General and Commissioners of Justice of the
19 northern states had the mandate to review the criminal justice system
in the region as agreed by the northern governors during their last
meeting.
He said the inauguration of the committee has become imperative
considering the complex problems of insurgency, cattle rustling, armed
robbery, inciting preaching, and kidnapping confronting the northern
states, adding that the panel has two months to complete its assignment.
He said: “The committee should also look at the condemnable
activities of the so called sponsors of the insurgency and come up with
legally pragmatic, appropriate and proportionate punishment. The
committee should also focus specifically on parents who because of
pittance sacrifice their children as suicide bombers. Such parents must
be made to face the full wrath of the law.”
Specifically, the Borno State Governor said the committee should
conduct a “thorough and meticulous review of the penal code as it exists
with a view to pointing out its weaknesses and constraints in the
overall administration of Criminal Justice System in the Northern
states.
A 42-year-old man, Rafiu Olusamokun, is currently in the custody of
the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly producing fake foreign and
local currencies, which allegedly run into millions of Naira.
Our correspondent learnt that Olusamokun, an indigene of Owo, Ondo
State, was arrested by the police in his house at Ayidolapo Street, in
the Ikotun area of the state.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the suspect, who was a motor mechanic
before allegedly venturing into production of fake currencies, worked
with some people who were still at large.
It was learnt that the police recovered an iron box full of fake
dollars, pounds and naira notes from Olusamokun. Some materials such as
cotton wool, paints and oil, allegedly used in the production of the
money, were also recovered by the police.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro, the suspect said he was introduced into
the business by some men who claimed to have newly returned from Europe.
Olusamokun said the men brainwashed him and forced him to pay about
N600,000 to purchase the materials to produce the fake currencies.
He said, “I met those people early this year. I was working as a
motor mechanic, and I just ran into them. They said they recently
returned from Europe. When I visited them at a hotel in the Bar Beach,
Victoria Island area, they brought out the samples of the currencies
they had, and said I could produce same if I wanted to become wealthy.
I was immediately interested. A friend, Sule Sulaimon, who went with
me, also became interested. Their leader said all I needed to do was to
purchase the chemicals from them. He said I should bring N1m, but I
eventually paid N650,000 for the chemicals.
“I did not know the samples they gave me were fake; the papers looked
so original. I first gave him N400,000, and then N250,000. He said I
could reproduce as much hard currencies as I wanted from the materials I
had.
“The currencies recovered from my house runs into millions, but I was
not through with the reproduction. If I had finished with it, I would
have been a wealthy man. I would have evaded the arrest.”
A police source told our correspondent that Olusamokun was to give
part of the money reproduced to the syndicate, so that he could be given
more materials. He added that the police were still on the trail of the
group.
“The syndicate gave him the materials and the currencies to wash into
original. The money is actually worth millions. He was producing €100
and €200 and pounds. The police found the fake cash in his house,” he
said.
The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigations were over.
“The police will continue to ensure that we reduce crimes to the barest minimum in the state,” he added.
Source: Punch
Removal of ex-NHS psychologist Fatima Akilu sparks concerns that UK and
EU-funded programme may be mothballed
NHS-trained psychologist Dr Fatima Akilu
The future of a UK-backed programme to de-radicalise Boko Haram Islamists in Nigeria is in doubt after the British-trained expert who set it up was abruptly sacked by the country's new government.
Fatima Akilu, an NHS-trained psychologist who was educated at a
boarding school in Kent, set up a pioneering national scheme to
rehabilitate Boko Haram members and spread counter-extremist messages.
Retired Major General Babagana Monguno Photo: Reuters
Ms Akilu has now been replaced by a colonel in the military, robbing
the programme not only of its chief architect but also its civilian
face. The programme had been designed to be civilian-led so as to have
greater success in winning the confidence of insurgents. It had been
funded by the EU to the tune of £5.6 million and an unknown amount by
the UK.
There are concerns now that without its original backer,
the scheme may end up being quietly sidelined, depriving Nigeria of its
only counter-extremism scheme. A source close to the government told
the Telegraph: "The decision to remove Fatima came without any warning
and now she has been replaced by a military man that nobody has heard
of.
"Her staff are not happy about what has happened, and many are considering whether to stay or not."
The question marks over the programme come as Boko Haram continues to pose a major threat to Nigeria, despite Mr Buhari's pledges to crush it.
On Monday, the group claimed responsibility for multiple suicide
bombings over the weekend that killed 18 people around the capital,
Abuja. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari Photo: AFP
Ms Akilu, who was educated at the Beechwood Sacred Heart boarding
school in Tunbridge Wells, set up the scheme last year at the invitation
of Mohammad Sambo Dasuki, a national security adviser under the previous president, Goodluck Jonathan.
She had previously been working as a children's author and adviser to
troubled teenagers, but caught Mr Dasuki's attention after writing a
series of articles on the importance of education in drawing Nigerian
youngsters away from trouble.
The programme focused partly on
educating young Nigerians about the dangers of radicalisation in the
first place, and also on trying to rehabilitate the thousands of Boko Haram suspects
already in jail. Suspects would be challenged by imams on their radical
views, and also given access to sports facilities and classes in
computing and craft skills.
It was considered to be innovative
in Nigeria, where "hearts and minds" has never been a strong aspect of
counter-terrorism strategy. A still from a video released by extremist group Boko Haram Photo: AFP/Getty Images
"The project was just beginning to bear fruit," said the source. "At
first the Boko Haram prisoners wouldn't even talk to us, but we had
reached the point where both were at least taking part in the programme.
Some of the ex-commanders were even telling us about other commanders
in other jails that might also be persuaded to take part."
News
of Ms Akilu's removal first emerged on social media in Nigeria, and has
been the subject of much speculation since. Some believe that Mr Buhari,
who was elected on pledges to take a tough approach with Boko Haram, is
not convinced that "softer" strategies work. Others say he may not even
have been aware of her removal.
Another theory is that she was the victim of score settling between the Jonathan and Buhari camps, which date back to Mr Buhari's brief time as military ruler of Nigeria in the mid-1980s.
Ms Akilu's ex-boss, Mr Dasuki, is said to have been among a team of
soldiers who arrested Mr Buhari shortly after his overthrow that year.
This summer, three of Mr Dasuki's houses were raided on suspicion that
he was involved in "undermining" national security, leading to him
eventually being charged with possession of an unlicensed pistol. The
Nigerian government denies that there has been any kind of witch hunt.
A Western official linked Ms Akilu's removal to the wider clear-out
in the NSA, but said there had been problems with the programme in the
first place. "Fatima set the programme up and had a lot of good ideas,
but there were some shortcomings, partly in her team's own capacity to
run it, and partly in the lack of buy-in from the Nigerian military, who
at the end of day need to be onside for this kind of thing.
"We
hope that the programme will continue, and that this can become an
opportunity to get more buy-in from the military and make it better than
it was."
An EU source said: "We are maintaining close contact
with the office of the national security adviser staff and with the
technical assistants working on the EU funded activities to evaluate the
impact of the recent staff changes."
The Nigerian government did not respond to requests for comment.
Abuja - President Muhammadu Buhari has said that significant
improvements in national security remains the topmost priority of his
administration.
The president made the statement on Thursday in
Abuja when he granted audience to Britain's Chief of Defence Staff, Gen.
Nicholas Houghton.
He said that security was imperative because
other socio-economic initiatives could not be successfully implemented
without adequate security in the country.
He reaffirmed the determination of his administration to end the Boko Haram insurgency as quickly as possible.
Buhari
said: "for a country to be efficiently administered, it must first be
well secured because other social and economic initiatives cannot thrive
in an atmosphere of insecurity.
An environment has to be secured before it can be rehabilitated.
Nigeria currently has about 1.5 million internally displaced persons and
they need to be returned to their homes and brought out of trauma.
"Their
schools, hospitals, churches, mosques, farms and livelihoods have been
destroyed by insurgents. If they are not catered for, the country may
lose their loyalty.
"When Boko Haram is pushed out and the environment secured, normal life will be restored.
"That
is what we are determined to do. Other things like farming, economic
activities and social life will then return. Nigerians are quite
enterprising.’’
The president said that Nigeria appreciated
Britain's support for the retraining of its Armed Forces and asked for
more assistance in other areas such as logistics, equipment and
intelligence.
He also called for more international support for
regional efforts to improve security in the Gulf of Guinea through which
"crude oil stolen from Nigeria is shipped’’.
In his remarks, Houghton said that the Buhari Presidency was a huge opportunity for Nigeria to make progress.
He said that he was very impressed with the progress Nigeria had made in the war against terrorism under Buhari.
Houghton
assured the President that Britain would continue to support the
Federal Government's efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency.
"We will also help to ensure that the causes of insurgency are removed.
"Beyond the military dimension, we are also interested in the stabilisation dimension,’’ he said.
BEIRUT, Lebanon — In a second day of a coordinated air and ground assaults in Syria,
Russian warplanes, Syrian troops and their militia allies attacked
insurgents on Thursday in a contested area of Hama Province, next to Syria’s coastal mountains, a critical government stronghold.
The
attacks, reported by insurgents and by a monitoring group, came as the
Syrian Army’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayoub, declared
sweeping goals for the new offensive via state-run news media, saying
that government forces would capitalize on the Russian airstrikes with
“a wide-scale attack” aimed at rooting out insurgents, “liberating the
areas and towns which have been suffering the woes and crimes of
terrorism.”
Russia’s entry
has upended the battlefield in Syria, where four years of war have left
a quarter of a million dead and half the country displaced, giving a
new infusion of morale to the government and deepening Russia’s alliance in Syria with President Bashar al-Assad, Iran and the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.
The
focus of the newly intensified and coordinated campaign has been in an
area straddling the provinces of Idlib and Hama, where insurgent gains
in recent months seem to have spurred the increased Russian
intervention.
The
insurgent groups there do not include the Islamic State, which both
Russia and the United States vow to defeat as it seeks to entrench its
self-declared caliphate further east in Syria and Iraq. Rather, the
groups are led by an Islamist coalition called Army of Conquest. That group includes Al Qaeda’s
Syria affiliate and, while its main declared goal is ousting Mr. Assad,
its member groups also clash with the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
Opponents of Mr. Assad, including the United States,
argue that Russia’s approach will only strengthen Islamic State by
leaving no other alternative to Mr. Assad, whose crackdown on political
protests helped spark the insurgency. In contrast, Russia argues, much
like the Syrian government, that there are no meaningful distinctions
between ISIS and most other insurgent groups, making them all legitimate
targets.
The
new attacks on Thursday — reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, a monitoring group in Britain with extensive contacts in Syria —
took place on the Ghab Plain, where the Army of Conquest had advanced
in July, pushing south after seizing most of Idlib Province.
Insurgents
in the Ghab Plain also include relatively secular groups who consider
themselves part of the loose-knit Free Syrian Army, including some
elements covertly equipped by the C.I.A. with advanced antitank missiles
that have aided the recent Army of Conquest advances.
The
United States has objected to Russia’s targeting such groups; Russian
officials have said they have asked the Americans for the coordinates of
armed groups fighting the Islamic State but have not received any. Some
fighters with rebel groups that have received American aid even say,
after several were hit by Russian strikes, that they have begun to worry
that the Americans did hand over their coordinates — and that the
Russians are using the data to pick them off.
The
dispute puts the United States in the awkward position of either
acquiescing to Russia’s attacks on the groups or objecting to the
attacks, even though they fight alongside a Qaeda affiliate.
American
warplanes flying over Syria have begun to alter their flight paths as
necessary to avoid “unsafe” proximity to Russian fighters, the Pentagon
acknowledged on Wednesday. Capt. Jeff Davis of the Navy told reporters
that the United States had good awareness about the skies over Syria and
had begun rerouting its airstrikes to pass well clear of the Russians.
But there have been no direct communications between the two countries’
militaries since a video conference last week, he said. “We have taken
some actions to ensure the safe separation of aircraft,” Captain Davis
said.
Thursday’s
clashes were slightly west of the ground fighting on Wednesday, in
which insurgents said that — with the help of the antitank missiles —
they had managed to stop a pro-government ground advance around three
villages in Hama on the approach to the mountainous rebel-held territory
of Jabal al-Zawiya.
Russian
and Syrian airstrikes also continued for a second day in Al Bab and
other areas of eastern Aleppo Province, undisputed Islamic State
territory.
In
his remarks, General Ayoub, the Syrian army commander, also apparently
sought to play down the notion that Russia had taken over the war,
saying that Syrian armed forces had “kept the reins of military
initiative” by forming a new strike force, called the Fourth Assault
Corps.
The Nigerian military today announced that its
soldiers have arrested three more Boko Haram sponsors and financiers.
The arrest, according to the Army Headquarters followed the confessional
statement made by one Mohammed Maina, who is a major supplier of drugs
to the terror group earlier arrested by soldiers.
Acting Director, Army public relations, Colonel Sani Usman, who made
this known in Abuja, warned members of the terror group to surrender
their arms or have their selves to blame.
Usman said three other suspects namely Jikana Alhaji Goni, 29, Alhaji
Musa Alhaji Modu, 37 and Alhaji Aba’ana Sule, 40, all of Hausari Ward
in Maiduguri were arrested and undergoing interrogation. He said the
suspects are making useful information about the operation of the group
that would lead to the arrest of other members.
The Army spokesman, while assuring that peace would soon be restored
to the troubled north east part of the country, warned the terrorists to
surrender as the military was all out to flush them out from their
strongholds, camps and enclaves.
Usman, equally called on parents, families and friends of all those
involved in insurgency, to persuade them to desist and renounce their
membership of the terrorist organization forthwith.
“We also wish to appeal to the good people of the North Eastern part
of the country, in particular those of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States to
prevail on these terrorists to renounce their evil ways immediately”,
he added.
The Sokoto State Police Command has declared an officer of the
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Aliyu Jekada, wanted
for allegedly stabbing a 25-year man, Kasimu Dandaba.
The command’s spokesman, Sabo Kurawa, told NAN that:“Jekada has been
declared wanted by the police and wherever he is, we are trailing him
and we will get him to face justice.” Police said Jekada had stabbed
Dandaba last Sunday at Wamakko, headquarters of Wamakko Local Government
Area of the state at about midnight following a disagreement.
“It is true that the officer stabbed Dandaba, who is now receiving treatment at a specialist hospital in sokoto.
.’’ The State Commandant of NSCDC, Mr Adamu Soja, who confirmed the
incident, said Jekada was suspended six weeks ago by the command for
absconding from duty.
“We received a petition from his family over some problems and I summoned him, but he refused to appear in the office.
“I even directed the intelligence unit of the command to track him and bring him to the office, but he was nowhere to be found.
Boko
Haram Terrorists made a futile attempt on 120 Task Force Battalion
troops located at Goniri, Yobe State, but the Nigerian troops
successfully repelled the attacked and inflicted heavy casualty on the
invading terrorists as they were all killed. On the last count over 100
terrorists bodies were seen. However, 7 of our gallant soldiers paid the
supreme price defending our fatherland, while 1 officer and 8 soldiers
were wounded in action.
The
troops recovered size-able arms, ammunition and other equipment from
the terrorists,which include 1 General Purpose Machine Gun, 2 Rocket
Propelled Grenades, 9 AK-47 rifles and Belted rounds of 7.62 (NATO)
ammunition. Others were various wires used for Improvised Explosive
Devices (IEDs), 7 Primed IEDs, different types of Spanners and a Torch
Light.
In
a related development, troops of 21 Brigade on patrol from Bama to
Ngurosoye, destroyed the terrorists camps in the axis. Troops came
across some of the terrorists hideouts that also served as fabricating
area for IEDs and the terrorists’ training area. Another patrol along
Bama-Kawuri axis discovered and exhumed IEDs and wires for detonation.
BOKO HARAM COLLABORATORS ARRESTED
Please
recall that a Boko Haram financier, fund raiser and stimulant supplier,
Mohammed Maina was arrested by troops of 21 Brigade. The arrested
terrorist has been making very useful statements and lending more
insights in the activities of the terrorists and their collaborators.
This
has been yielding positive results and as a follow up today, 3
collaborators; Jikana Alhaji Goni, aged 29 years of Hausari Ward
Maiduguri, Alhaji Musa Alhaji Modu, also of Hausari Ward Maiduguri, 37
years and Alhaji Aba'ana Na Alhaji Sule aged 40, of Hausari Ward
Maiduguri were arrested and are being interrogated.
Troops of 112 Battalion and Special Forces in Mafa and Dikwa
respectively on a joint fighting patrol raided a Boko Haram camp at
Bulungwa Naibe in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State yesterday.
During the operation, quite a number of the Boko Haram terrorists were
killed and the following items were recovered; 1 Buffalo vehicle mounted
with an Anti-Aircraft Gun, a Rocket Propelled Grenade, 2 Machine Guns
and 1 Sub-machine Gun. Others include 5 AK-47 rifles, 1 Fabrique
Nationale rifle and 2 Sewing Machines used for sewing uniforms by the
terrorists.
It will be recalled that the terrorists used to launch attacks on hapless civilians in Dikwa general area.
In a related development, troops have also intercepted and arrested a
suspected Boko Haram financier and stimulants dealer, Mohammed Maina in
Bama, Bama Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State. The suspect a
native of Ngurosoye came from Shuari village in Bama LGA, he was
arrested with the sum of One Million Naira cash and some items.
Investigation revealed that Mohammed supplies them Kolanuts and other
items especially stimulants. He further revealed that kolanuts is in
high demand among the terrorists as it keeps them active at night. It
is apparent also that he plies Maiduguri-Dikwa-Kulli axis where he
gathers monetary and other materials contributions from Boko Haram
sympathizers along that axis and send same to the terrorists camps.
Morale of troops remain very high and they are ever ready to continue
with their duty in the most professional and responsive manner.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed that it has so far counted
15 corpses and 41 injured persons after the multiple explosions that rocked Nyanya and Kuje
areas of Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.
The agency in a statement Saturday morning by its spokesman, Sani Datti also disclosed that the injured persons were evacuated to Nyanya, Asokoro General Hospitals and National Hospital Abuja.
Meanwhile pieces of human flesh litter the scenes of the unfortunate act.
The attack suspected to have been carried out by the Boko Haram Terror sect happened at the Jikwoyi Park, Nyanya, on the popular Abuja-Keffi Expressway while in Kuje two explosions targeted a police station and a market.
Recall that the Nigerian Army has been celebrating the decimation of the Boko Haram.
Residents of the FCT can be seen on Saturday gathering and discussing the fear of Boko Haram’s return to the capital city while others took to social media to call for an immediate action by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Abuja - President Muhammadu Buhari has said that significant
improvements in national security remains the topmost priority of his
administration.
BEIRUT, Lebanon — In a second day of a 
