Manchester attack aimed at easing pressure on Daesh in Iraq, Syria, expert tells Arab News

Updated 25 May 2017
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Manchester attack aimed at easing pressure on Daesh in Iraq, Syria, expert tells Arab News

JEDDAH: The suicide bomber who killed 22 people at a concert in the British city of Manchester on Monday had “likely” been to Syria, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said Wednesday.
He told BFM TV that British intelligence services had informed their French counterparts that 22-year-old Salman Abedi, who was of Libyan origin, “grew up in Britain and then suddenly, after a trip to Libya and then likely to Syria, became radicalized and decided to carry out this attack.”
Collomb said it was “possible” that Abedi had had assistance from other people, adding: “In any case, the links with Daesh are proven.”
Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack at the concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in which many children were killed.
The French minister, who took office only last week, added: “At the moment, we know only what British investigators have told us.”
Baker Atyani, a veteran journalist with two decades of covering militant groups, told Arab News on Wednesday that there was no doubt that the attack was carried out by Daesh.
"They officially claimed responsibility for the Manchester suicide attack but did not name the man who carried out the attack," he said.
Atyani said the attack was aimed at easing the pressure on Daesh in Syria and Iraq. "They want to open new fronts so that the attention of the international coalition that is fighting them in Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria is diverted," he said.
He said the Daesh strategy was pretty clear from two or three videos that were released last month — both coming from Raqqa.
"In those videos, foreign fighters, especially from Europe including Britain, are seen calling on their supporters and followers in the West to carry out lone-wolf attacks," said Atyani.
“They are seen urging their followers and sympathizers to use whatever means are available in order to carry out terror attacks. They are essentially asking their supporters to get the anti-Daesh forces busy on other fronts and to open new theaters of conflict.”
Atyani said the Manchester attack revealed a serious security lapse on the part of British authorities.
“The main question that British authorities need to answer is this: How was the suicide bomber able to bring the explosives that he used in his suicide belt?
“The use of explosives indicates that he was not alone and that this was part of a large cell,” he said. “Because somebody brought the material in and someone else prepared the bomb for him.”
“Yes, the attacker came from Manchester. We have heard that his family lived in Manchester so he was familiar with the topography of the city. He knew the place but the real question is: Where did the explosives come from?”
Atyani said even if the man had not been allowed into the arena where the concert was taking place, he would have blown himself up somewhere else.
“Busting the network of terrorists is important because only this will show how Daesh cells are operating. How are they operating in the West? Where are they bringing these kinds of explosives from?” he asked, adding. “The reports indicate it was a very sophisticated bomb.”
He said making or assembling the bomb itself was not difficult. “It is easy assembling the bomb but it is not easy to buy the material,” he said.
He said the material was surely procured from outside the UK. “The material must have been brought from somewhere in Europe. The bomb was not made locally,” he said.
Atyani said such attacks would continue. “Whenever they find an opportunity, they will strike,” he said.
According to him, hitting Daesh in Raqqa is not helping. “They are in Syria and Iraq. You know where they are. They are organized and structured. When they lose territory, they will disperse just as Al-Qaeda did in the past.”
“Some of them will return to their original countries; some of them will stay in Syria and some of them will be killed. Some of them will be arrested but the rest will regroup and try to strike wherever they can,” said Atyani.
He sees no end to the cycle of violence “unless we address the reasons and causes for the violence,” he said.
On Wednesday, British security forces raided an apartment in central Manchester as they investigated a network of people allegedly behind the concert bombing. Hundreds of soldiers were sent to secure key sites across the country, including Buckingham Palace and Parliament.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Abedi, “likely” did not act alone.
Abedi, British citizen born to Libyan parents grew up around Manchester; he died in the attack.
In Libya, authorities arrested Abedi’s father and a younger brother. The anti-terror force that took the brother, 18-year-old Hashim, into custody said he had confessed that both he and his brother were a part of Daesh and that he, Hashim Abedi, had been aware of the details of the attack.
The father, Ramadan Abedi, denied his son’s involvement in an interview with The Associated Press earlier Wednesday, saying “We don’t believe in killing innocents.”
Another man taken into custody Tuesday in Manchester was identified by Abedi’s father as another son, 23-year-old Ismail.
— With input from AP


Erdogan ally floats Turkiye constitutional amendment to let him extend his tenure

Updated 8 sec ago
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Erdogan ally floats Turkiye constitutional amendment to let him extend his tenure

ANKARA: The main political ally of longstanding Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that a constitutional amendment should be considered to allow the president to run again in elections set for 2028.
After his re-election last year, Erdogan is serving his last term as president unless parliament calls an early election, according to the constitution. He has ruled Turkiye for more than 21 years, first as prime minister and then as president.
“Wouldn’t it be a natural and right choice to have our president elected once again if terror is eradicated, and if a heavy blow is dealt to inflation and Turkiye secures political and economic stability,” said Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is allied with Erdogan’s ruling AK Party (AKP).
A constitutional amendment to secure Erdogan’s ability to re-run in the presidential elections should be considered, he said in a parliamentary speech to MHP lawmakers.
Bahceli, a staunch nationalist, rattled Turkish politics last month by suggesting that the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) could be allowed to speak in parliament if he announces an end to the group’s insurgency.
Some analysts said the shock suggestion might be motivated by an AKP-MHP desire to win the support of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party, parliament’s third-biggest, for a constitutional change that could boost Erdogan’s prospects in 2028 elections.
A constitutional change can be put to a referendum if 360 lawmakers in the 600-seat parliament back it. An early election also needs the support of 360 MPs.
AKP and its allies have 321 seats while DEM has 57.


A tiny village in India where Kamala Harris has ancestral roots is praying for her victory

Updated 05 November 2024
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A tiny village in India where Kamala Harris has ancestral roots is praying for her victory

THULASENDRAPURAM: The temple reverberated with rhythmic Sanskrit and Tamil hymns, as a Hindu priest held a flame before the god. As this tiny South Indian village gathered to pray for Kamala Harris, a gaggle of reporters jostled for space and camera angles.
There's little to distinguish the village of Thulasendrapuram from any other rural community in Tamil Nadu, except its connection to a woman who could become America's first leader with South Asian roots.
As millions of Americans vote, Harris has people rooting for her from thousands of miles away in a village surrounded by rice paddies and coconut trees, where her mother's family has ancestral ties. They talk about her at the local tea shop. Banners and billboards bearing her face are seen throughout the community.
“Our deity is a very powerful God. If we pray well to him, he will make her victorious,” said M. Natarajan, the temple priest that led the prayers in front of the image of Hindu deity Ayyanar, a form of Lord Shiva.
Harris’ maternal grandfather was born in the village, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) from the southern coastal city of Chennai, more than 100 years ago. As an adult, he moved to Chennai, where he worked as a high-ranking government official until his retirement.
Harris has never visited Thulasendrapuram and she has no living relatives in the village, but people here still venerate the family that made it big in the U.S.
“Our village ancestors' granddaughter is running as a U.S. presidential candidate. Her victory will be happy news for every one of us,” Natarajan said.
The village's sudden fame has helped bring money into the village. Recently, construction began on a water storage tank with funds donated by a local bank. Village residents say it will carry a plaque with Harris’ name.
Harris’ late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in India. After moving to the U.S. to study, she married a Jamaican man, and they named their daughter Kamala, a Sanskrit word for “lotus flower.”
Other than trips during her childhood, Harris hasn’t visited India much — particularly not since becoming vice president — but she has often spoken emotionally about her ties to her late mother’s country of birth. On Tuesday, she released a campaign video highlighting her mother, who arrived in the U.S. at age 19 and became a cancer researcher.
Titled “Mother,” the video ends with a narrator saying: “This daughter of Shyamala, this daughter of the American story, is ready to lead us forward.”
Harris has often talked about how she was guided by the values of her Indian-born grandfather and mother. She has also spoken of her love of south Indian food, especially a type of steamed rice cake called idli.
Harris’ name is engraved in a list of donors — her aunt Sarala Gopalan gave money to the temple in her name — along with that of her grandfather. Outside, a large banner wishes “the daughter of the land” success in the election.
On Tuesday, the village temple also received rare international visitors: two American tourists and one from the U.K., all wearing black t-shirts that said “Kamala Freakin Harris.”
Manikandan Ganesan, a villager who runs a small store near the temple, said Harris’ bid for the presidency has made the village famous. He hopes Harris will eventually visit them.
“Even if she mentioned that she would visit our village, it would make us very happy,” Ganesan said. “Her victory itself will be a big source of happiness for us.”
Village residents also prayed for Harris’ victory in 2020, and set off firecrackers when she became the U.S. Vice President.
For women of the village, the candidate's journey is a source of inspiration.
Local politician Arulmozhi Sudhakar said Harris embodies a significant step toward female empowerment in places like Thulasendrapuram, where a majority of women continue to face discrimination and gender inequality.
“From the time when women were not even allowed to step out of their house, to now a woman from our village contesting in the U.S. presidential election — this brings happiness for us,” Sudhakar said. “The coming generations will see her as a role model to succeed in life.”

Ukraine’s military says it shot down 48 drones and two missiles overnight

Updated 05 November 2024
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Ukraine’s military says it shot down 48 drones and two missiles overnight

KYIV: The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it shot down 48 out of 79 drones and two missiles launched by Russia overnight.
The air force said the location of 30 other drones had been lost, while another had returned to Russia.


India foreign minister says vandalism of Hindu temples deeply concerning

Updated 05 November 2024
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India foreign minister says vandalism of Hindu temples deeply concerning

  • Vandalism incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to killing of Sikh separatist leader in 2023 
  • Canada has accused India of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, which New Delhi denies 

SYDNEY: India foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Tuesday the vandalism of a Hindu temple in Canada on Monday was deeply concerning.
“What happened yesterday at the Hindu temple in Canada was obviously deeply concerning,” he told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra while on an official visit.
The incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023 in Canada. Canada has accused the Indian government of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, which New Delhi denies.
The incident has increased tensions between Canada and India, and between Sikh separatists and Indian diplomats.
Two Hindu temples were also vandalized in Canberra last month, which Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said was upsetting for members of the Indian community.
“People across Australia have a right to be safe and respected, people also have a right to peaceful protest, people have a right to express their views peacefully,” she told reporters.
“We draw a line between that and violence, incitement of hatred or vandalism,” she added.
Wong said Australia had expressed its views to India about Canada’s allegations over the targeting of Sikh separatists, and Canberra respected Canada’s judicial process. Jaishankar said it was unacceptable that Indian diplomats had been placed under surveillance by Canada.
“Canada has developed a pattern of making allegations without providing specifics,” he said.


India foreign minister says vandalism of Hindu temples deeply concerning

Updated 05 November 2024
Follow

India foreign minister says vandalism of Hindu temples deeply concerning

  • Canada has accused the Indian government of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, which New Delhi denies

SYDNEY: India foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Tuesday the vandalism of a Hindu temple in Canada on Monday was deeply concerning.
“What happened yesterday at the Hindu temple in Canada was obviously deeply concerning,” he told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra while on an official visit.
The incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023 in Canada. Canada has accused the Indian government of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, which New Delhi denies.
The incident has increased tensions between Canada and India, and between Sikh separatists and Indian diplomats.
Two Hindu temples were also vandalized in Canberra last month, which Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said was upsetting for members of the Indian community.
“People across Australia have a right to be safe and respected, people also have a right to peaceful protest, people have a right to express their views peacefully,” she told reporters.
“We draw a line between that and violence, incitement of hatred or vandalism,” she added.
Wong said Australia had expressed its views to India about Canada’s allegations over the targeting of Sikh separatists, and Canberra respected Canada’s judicial process. Jaishankar said it was unacceptable that Indian diplomats had been placed under surveillance by Canada.
“Canada has developed a pattern of making allegations without providing specifics,” he said.