French Cement Giant Lafarge Loses Bid To Dismiss 'Crimes Against Humanity' Case In Syria

 

France 24: French firm Lafarge loses bid to dismiss 'crimes against humanity' case in Syria 

France's top court on Tuesday overturned a decision by a lower court to dismiss charges brought against cement giant Lafarge for complicity in crimes against humanity in Syria's civil war. 

The ruling by the Court of Cassation marks a major setback for Lafarge, which is accused of paying nearly 13 million euros ($15.3 million) to jihadist groups including the Islamic State (IS) to keep its cement factory in northern Syria running through the early years of the country's war. 

Lafarge's lawyer refused AFP's request for comment.

Lafarge, which merged in 2015 with Swiss group Holcim, has acknowledged that its Syrian subsidiary paid middlemen to negotiate with armed groups to allow the movement of staff and goods inside the war zone. 

But it denies any responsibility for the money winding up in the hands of terrorist groups and has fought to have the case dropped. 

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WNU Editor: Apparently French intelligence also knew what was happening .... Lafarge financed Daesh with knowledge of French intelligence - report (TRT). More here .... French intelligence knew cement giant Lafarge paid MILLIONS to ISIS & capitalized on its ties with terrorists – leaked papers (RT). 

More News On French Cement Giant Lafarge Losing Its Bid To Dismiss 'Crimes Against Humanity' Case  

Lafarge loses ruling on 'crimes against humanity' charges -- DW  

France: Lafarge loses ruling in Syria crime against humanity case -- Al Jazeera  

French court reinstates crimes against humanity probe in Lafarge Syria case -- Swissinfo  

France's Lafarge loses ruling in Syria 'crimes against humanity' case -- Middle East Eye

ISIS Launched A Failed Attack On A Tajikistan Border Outpost With Uzbekistan

DW: Tajikistan: 17 killed in border outpost attack

Twenty masked gunmen launched a failed attack on a Tajik outpost on the border with Uzbekistan. The rare attack was quashed when border forces launched a counter operation and killed most of the raiders.

At least 17 people were killed in an overnight raid by armed men on an outpost on the border between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Tajik authorities said on Wednesday.

"An armed group of 20 unknown masked individuals attacked a border outpost … using firearms," said Tajikistan's national security committee, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS.

Tajikistan's border forces said the assailants were members of the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group in Afghanistan.

At least five of the gunmen were detained and later provided critical intelligence during interrogations, authorities said.

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WNU Editor: I agree with this analysis .... Reported Attack In Tajikistan Could Have Broad Implications For Central Asia (RFE).

More News On Today's ISIS Attack On A Tajikistan Border Outpost With Uzbekistan

Many dead in Tajikistan 'firefight with IS' -- BBC
Fifteen IS jihadists killed in Tajikistan border attack -- AFP
Tajikistan: 17 killed in attack on border checkpoint -- Eurasianet
ISIL blamed for deadly attack on Tajik border outpost -- Al Jazeera

Riots Reported At The Kurdish Al-Hol Camp That Is Holding Thousands Of ISIS Families

Daily Mail: The moment families of ISIS fighters 'attempt to escape' notorious Al-Hol prison camp where Shamima Begum is being held amid Turkish invasion of Syria

* Footage shows unrest at the Al-Hol camp, which holds thousands of ISIS families
* Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces reported riots and an attempted escape
* Comes amid Turkish invasion and attacks on the Kurds after US forces withdrew
* Kurds have warned the attacks risk setting thousands of ISIS jihadis loose

Families of ISIS fighters kept locked up at the notorious Al-Hol prison camp in Syria have started riots in an attempt to escape, their Kurdish guards have said.

Video taken at the camp - where British ISIS bride Shamima Begum is among the detainees - shows panic as guards go running towards a group of burqa-clad women, who then sprint in the opposite direction.

It comes amid a Turkish invasion of Syria and attacks on the Kurds, which commanders warned would likely lead to thousands of ISIS prisoners escaping as they divert soldiers from the camps to defend their territory.

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Update #1: Turkish invasion raises fears of Islamic State prison break (AP)
Update #2: ISIS has a plan to bust out 70,000 supporters from Kurdish jails now that the US has abandoned the area to the Turkish military (Business Insider).

WNU Editor: 70,000 people are at this camp. I am sure that the Turkish invasion has disrupted food and humanitarian supplies, and these ISIS fighters and their families are a low priority for the Kurds when it comes to these supplies. I would not be surprised if the situation completely explodes in the next day or two.

Using Explosives ISIS Destroys Jonah's Tomb In Mosul, Iraq

Officials: ISIS Blows Up Jonah's Tomb In Iraq -- CNN

(CNN) -- If you blink during the video, you might miss the moment Jonah's tomb in Mosul, Iraq, explodes.

The first few frames show the revered shrine towering over its landscape. There's a sudden burst of dust, fire and smoke.

Then, nothing.

CNN could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the video, which was posted to YouTube.

The holy site is thought to be the burial place of the prophet Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale or fish in both the Islamic and Judeo-Christian traditions.

Militants belonging to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, planted explosives around the tomb and detonated the explosion remotely Thursday, civil defense officials there told CNN.

The tomb was inside a Sunni mosque called the Mosque of the Prophet Younis.

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More News On ISIS Destroying Jonah's Tomb In Mosul

ISIL terrorists blow up burial site of Jonah, vow more of same -- Washington Times
After leveling Iraq’s Tomb of Jonah, the Islamic State could destroy ‘anything in the Bible’ -- Washington Post
Isis militants blow up Jonah's tomb -- The Guardian
Iraq jihadists blow up 'Jonah's tomb' in Mosul: official -- AFP
Islamist Militants Raze Ancient Shrine in Mosul -- Time
Video shows ‘Jonah’s tomb’ in Mosul being blown up -- Al Arabiya
Islamic State destroys Jonah’s Tomb in Mosul -- Times of Israel
ISIS Blows Up Muslim Shrine With Biblical Prophet Jonah's Tomb 'to Dust' Because it Had Become a Place of Apostasy -- Christina Post

My Comment: Any reference in the Bible to a historical site is no longer safe from these fanatics. Welcome to the new Middle East.

ISIS Is Proving To The World That It Can Govern Effectively

To those entering Raqqa Province, home to about a million people, ISIS makes clear, immediately, who is in charge. Credit Reuters

Life In A Jihadist Capital: Order With A Darker Side -- New York Times

In a Syrian City, ISIS Puts Its Vision Into Practice.

RAQQA, Syria — When his factory was bombed in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, the businessman considered two bleak options: remain at home and risk dying in the next airstrike, or flee like hundreds of thousands of others to a refugee camp in Turkey.

Instead, he took his remaining cash east and moved to a neighboring city, Raqqa, the de facto capital of the world’s fastest growing jihadist force. There he found a degree of order and security absent in other parts of Syria.

“The fighting in Syria will continue, so we have to live our lives,” said the businessman, who gave only a first name, Qadri, as he oversaw a dozen workers in his new children’s clothing factory in Raqqa.

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My Comment: Another worrisome development from ISIS is the following .... ISIL Is Now a ‘Full Blown Army’ in Iraq -- Ben Watson, Defense One

U.S. Intelligence Knew 3 Days Before Mosul Fell That ISIS Was Preparing For A Major Attack

Reuters

Officials: U.S. Knew 3 Days Before Mosul Fell That Islamic State Was Moving Forces -- Sacramento Bee/McClatchy News

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration knew an attack was in the works three days in advance of the Islamic State’s offensive in northern Iraq, but U.S. efforts to mount a response were hampered by the Iraqi government’s insistence that it could handle the threat, two top U.S. architects of Iraq policy said Wednesday.

The officials faced bipartisan criticism from the House Foreign Affairs Committee as members accused the Obama administration of taking insufficient steps to counter the expansionist goals of the Islamic State, also known by the acronyms ISIS or ISIL, an al Qaida spinoff that now operates freely throughout most of eastern Syria and across the vast swaths of northwestern Iraq that it seized last month.

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My Comment: Three days or three months .... it would not have made any difference. The Iraqi army was not up to the task, and even if given a few weeks warning .... they were not willing or capable of withstanding the ISIS onslaught.

ISIS Is Making 'Tens Of Millions' From Oil Sales To Fund It's Caliphate And War Machine

Militant Islamist fighters parade on military vehicles along the streets of northern Raqqa province. Reuters

Isis Smuggling $50m of Oil Monthly to fund Medieval Caliphate in Iraq and Syria -- IBTimes

The Islamic State, which reportedly generates $50m (£25m) a month in oil operations in neighbouring Syria, has expanded its oil business in Iraq to fund its recently declared 'caliphate.'

Having seized vast swathes of territory across Iraq, the jihadist group has begun selling crude oil and gasoline on black markets to fund its cross-border caliphate.

Militants from the Islamic State (formerly known as Isis) grabbed four small oilfields as they advanced through northern and central Iraq in June. The ultra-violent militants now control the Najma and Qayara oilfields near the northern city of Mosul, as well as the Himreen and Ajil oilfields close to the central city of Tikrit.

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More News On ISIS Making 'Tens Of Millions' From Oil Sales To Fund It's Caliphate And War Machine

ISS ‘making millions’ out of stolen oil revenues in Iraq -- RT
Islamic State Selling Iraqi Oil To Finance 'Caliphate' -- Reuters
NGO: Jihadists sell Syrian oil to Iraqi businessmen -- Al Arabiya/AFP
ISIS Generates Millions From Seized Oil Fields: Iraqi Officials -- NBC
Islamic State Selling Oil And Gas to Iraq From Conquered Land -- Breitbart

ISIS Continues It's Military Campaign In Both Syria And Iraq

Syria Civil War: Bloodiest 48 Hours Sees 700 Killed as Isis Gain Influence -- IBTimes

More than 700 people were killed in clashes over two days between pro-government forces and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) militants in Syria.

Activists from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that the deaths represented the bloodiest fighting since the civil war began in 2011.

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and Isis militants battled following the rebel group's capture of the Shaar gas field east of Homs city.

By Thursday 270 have been killed in clashes while the death toll for the day's combined unrest was 396.

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More News On Iraq's And Syria's Civil Wars

More than 700 killed in Syria as ISIS tightens grip on east -- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syria Just Had Its Bloodiest Two Days Yet -- Think Progress
Syria rebels battle ISIS jihadists near Damascus -- Daily Star/AFP
'Hundreds killed' in Syrian gas field capture -- Al Jazeera
More Western fighters joining militants in Iraq and Syria -- L.A. Times
A surge of fighters into Iraq and Syria stokes worry about plots targeting US -- Tribune
Time Is Running Out For Iraq As Nation Spirals Into Chaos -- MSNBC
U.N. accuses Islamic State of executions, rape, forced child recruitment in Iraq -- Reuters
Fresh attacks in two Iraq cities kill at least 16 -- AP
Australia teenager behind Iraq blast -- BBC
Jihadists sell Syrian oil to Iraqi businessmen -- Daily Star/AFP
New Parliament Speaker: Iraq ‘Cannot be Divided’ -- Rudaw
Top Kurdish security official warns West of Iraq blowback -- Reuters
Iraq Chaldean Catholic leader says Islamic State worse than Genghis Khan -- Reuters
While Iraq burns, Isis takes advantage in Syria -- Michael Stephens & Sofia Barbarani, BBC
Is Iraq’s Kurdish region outside of ISIS’ calculus? -- Dina al-Shibeeb, Al Arabiya News

Canadian Jihadist May Be Dead But His Video Is Still Being Used To Recruit Foreign Fighters For ISIS

This Canadian Jihadist Died In Syria, But His Video May Recruit More Foreign Fighters -- Washington Post

"I watched hockey. I went to the cottage in the summertime. I liked to fish," says the bearded man in fatigues in the video, a rifle propped up on his shoulder. "I was like your everyday regular Canadian before Islam," he concludes.

Andre Poulin, a Canadian convert to Islam from the town of Timmons, Ontario, journeyed to Syria in 2012 to join the extremist militants of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. He is believed to have died in battle in the summer of 2013. But a new video released by a Web site affiliated with the Islamic State appears to be using his story to spread the word of jihad to other foreigners in the English-speaking world. (The above video is an edit of the full 11-minute version, which can be watched here.)

It's unclear when the video was filmed. But in it, Poulin, who went by the name Abu Muslim al Canadi and was believed to be 24 when he died, describes himself as a "regular person" who had a salary and a normal life in the West. And, he insists, "mujahideen are regular people, too." He calls on his "brothers" in the West to reject paying taxes to regimes that wage war in Muslim lands and to lend all their professional skills -- even as as doctors or engineers -- to the cause of the Islamic State.

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Update: Canadian Killed in Syria Lives On as Pitchman for Jihadis -- New York Times

My Comment: I live in Canada .... so I know how life is here. The idea that fighting for Jihad in a place like Syria (and dying there) is preferable than living a life in Canada .... what an idiot.

The Islamic State Is Making It's Long Term Goals Known

ISIS Promotional Video Vows to 'Conquer Israel, Rome and Spain' -- Arutz Sheva

Documentary-style propaganda video features pledge to wage jihad for world domination, showcases 'humanitarian work.'

The 'Caliphate' established by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) published a full-length propaganda video earlier this week, showing the "different faces" of the Islamist state - including governmental, educational, and religious activities.

One of the islamists, a citizen of Kosovo, spoke at a passport-burning ceremony for foreign nationals, who then accepted "passports" issued by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for the Caliphate.

The speaker drew a sword from its scabbard and promised to continue the jihad, or holy war against non-Islamists, including Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority (PA), Rome, and Spain, which was formerly under Islamic rule. He added that these goals are the "first step to taking over the world."

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More News And Analysis On ISIS/Islamic State

Rome Is Not Intimidated by ISIS Threats to Conquer it for the Caliphate -- Vice
Now even the Taliban warns ISIS Islamist rebels in Iraq to 'avoid extremism' as it calls for a new council of jihadi factions to keep them on the same page -- Daily Mail
ISIS Creating 'Safe Haven' For Terrorists in Syria, Say Officials -- NBC
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of ISIS, steps into world's spotlight as one of the most bloodthirsty terrorists -- New York Daily News
Isis defector speaks of life inside brutal jihadist group -- Paul Wood, BBC
Saudi doctor who joined ISIS killed: reports -- Al Arabiya
Appetites of ISIS extend far beyond Iraq & Syria -- Alexander Yakovenko, RT
How to defeat ISIS? Strangle its flow of illicit funding -- Jamsheed K. Choksy, Daily Star
Taking hi-tech steps to root out the ISIS threat -- Jamal Khashoggi, Al Arabiya
ISIS Has a Really Slick and Sophisticated Media Department -- Olivia Becker, VICE
Countering the ISIS Threat to Jordan -- David Schenker, WSJ
The Isis demand for a caliphate is about power, not religion -- William Dalrymple, The Guardian

My Comment: The above video is one slick propaganda film.

The Reason Why Iran Is Terrified Of ISIS

"Iranians are Terrified": Iran's ISIS Nightmare -- Dina Esfandiary, National Interest

Iran is stuck between a rock and a hard place on ISIS and Iraq. Taking responsibility for security in Iraq – or even significantly contributing to it – would be a huge undertaking. But a fragmented Iraq on its border is a first-order concern for Tehran - it can’t just sit by with fingers crossed. The choice is complicated by Syria. Iran can’t continue to pursue its interests in Syria at the same level if it is mired in Iraq as well. It is likely that Tehran will have to choose, and it will choose Iraq.

To Iran, Iraq and Syria are similar challenges, except today’s crisis in Iraq is harder to solve and matters more. Until recently, Assad’s Syria has been a good friend and ally to Iran and still today, a conduit to the Mediterranean and Hezbollah. But Iraq is Iran’s backyard.

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My Comment: Bottom line .... ISIS is a jihadist movement dedicated to creating a Sunni Caliphate .... and they are on the Iranian border. They are no options for Iran on this one .... they will have to focus their energies to stop and/or curtail ISIS.

Growing Fears That ISIS Will Build A 'Dirty Bomb'

Fear Of Dirty Bomb As ISIS Rebels Seize Radioactive Uranium In Iraq -- The Australian/The Times

ISIS terrorists have seized 40 kilograms of radioactive uranium in Iraq which some experts say could be used to make a dirty bomb. There are also fears that they may have obtained chemical weapons.

The jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham seized the uranium after they overran a university complex in the city of Mosul in their swift offensive across northern Iraq. The Iraqi government on Thursday appealed to Ban Ki Moon, the UN secretary-general, for international help to “stave off the threat of their use by terrorists in Iraq or abroad”.

“Terrorist groups have seized control of nuclear material at the sites that came out of the control of the state,” Iraq’s ambassador to the UN, Mohamed Ali Alhakim, said.

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Update #1: Dirty Bomb Fears after ISIS Seize Uranium -- Breitbart
Update #2: ISIS seizes uranium from lab; experts downplay 'dirty bomb' threat -- FOX News
Update #3: Rep. King warns ISIS could build ‘dirty bomb’ -- The Hill

My Comment: Nuclear experts are playing down this threat .... some are even saying that the nuclear material stolen would not make an effective "dirty bomb" .... that the material stolen is "low grade". What's my take .... the expert's are probably right that there is not enough material to make an effective "dirty bomb" .... but here is an easy prediction .... if a terror group does explode such a device in the middle of Manhattan .... let's see how many people will listen to the "experts" that there is nothing to fear.

One Of The World's Dangerous Terror Groups Is Now In The Oil Business

New Economics

ISIL Has Added A Lucrative New Business Line In Iraq: Oil Smuggling -- Steve LeVine, Quartz

ISIL, the business-minded Islamic army threatening Baghdad, has established a new flow of revenue since seizing a large swath of Iraq—an estimated $1 million-a-day oil smuggling business.

According to an investigation by Iraq Oil Report (paywall), ISIL rapidly captured one and possibly two oilfields south of Kirkuk soon after storming Iraq a month ago. The fields, in the Hamrin mountains, produce relatively small volumes—just 16,000-20,000 barrels a day. But that earns a tidy income even at the knock-down local black market rate of about $55 a barrel, according to the report.

The description of ISIL’s smuggling route into Kurdistan continues the narrative of a ruthlessly managed, financially savvy rebel group that has emerged over the last year first in Syria and now Iraq. That includes control over Syria’s oilfields—on July 3, ISIL captured al-Omar, the country’s largest oilfield—plus some $420 million in Iraqi dinars snatched up in the June capture of Mosul. In all, ISIL may have a cache of some $1.3 billion.

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Update: ISIL Is Taking Iraq’s Black Gold to the Black Market -- Defense One

My Comment: This development makes ISIS the world's most dangerous terror group by far .... a terror group that is now sitting on literally billions of dollars of oil.

ISIS's Next Targets Are Baghdad International Airport And Neighboring Jordan

Islamic Militants Aim To Take Baghdad Airport -- Washington Times

Jordan also at top of Islamic State’s hit list

The al Qaeda-inspired terrorist army in Iraq ultimately wants to capture Baghdad International Airport and begin a campaign to destabilize neighboring Jordan, an important U.S. ally, analysts say.

The Islamic State organization — formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — is attempting to move within striking distance as Iraqi officials in Baghdad on Wednesday reported discovering the bodies of 50 men in a possible sectarian massacre.

Seizing Baghdad’s commercial transportation hub would be a giant step toward isolating the Shiite majority government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. It also would advance its goal of taking the capital itself, thereby endangering thousands of Americans who might need a quick evacuation.

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My Comment: ISIS is only 5 miles away from Baghdad airport .... so attacking it is not in the realm of the impossible. As for Jordan .... an ISIS assault has been on their radar since June .... the only question that everyone is asking is ..... will this be the red line that will force the U.S./Israel/Saudi Arabia/etc. to act with military force against ISIS.

Iraq Has Notified The U.N That The Terror Group ISIS Now Has The Materials To Construct A 'Dirty Bomb'

Exclusive: Iraq Tells U.N. That 'Terrorist Groups' Seized Nuclear Materials -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Insurgents in Iraq have seized nuclear materials used for scientific research at a university in the country's north, Iraq told the United Nations in a letter appealing for help to "stave off the threat of their use by terrorists in Iraq or abroad."

Nearly 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of uranium compounds were kept at Mosul University, Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim told U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the July 8 letter obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.

"Terrorist groups have seized control of nuclear material at the sites that came out of the control of the state," Alhakim wrote, adding that such materials "can be used in manufacturing weapons of mass destruction."

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My Comment: The nightmare scenario is now becoming a reality.

The Islamic State 'Cabinet' Is Revealed

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Revealed: The Islamic State 'Cabinet', From Finance Minister To Suicide Bomb Deployer -- The Telegraph

New Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has assigned deputies to manage everything from bank accounts to bomb attacks

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, one of the world's most wanted jihadists, is aided by a "cabinet" of deputies, who manage both the Islamic State's military operations and its new, self declared, caliphate.

Documents seized from the house of a member of the Islamic State in a raid by the Iraqi military have revealed, for the first time and in remarkable detail, the leadership structure of this secretive organisation.

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My Comment: The International Criminal Court in The Hague now knows who to focus their attention on when it comes to who they must charge for war crimes.

Can ISIS Rule The 'Islamic State'?

'Jihadistan': Can Isis Militants Rule Seized Territory? -- Frank Gardner, BBC

Can Isis - the small but fanatical jihadist army now controlling large tracts of Syria and Iraq - rule the lands it has conquered?

Since the beginning of June, Isis - which has recently rebranded itself as "Islamic State" - has burst out of its stronghold in eastern Syria to seize Mosul, Iraq's second city, then advance down the length of the Euphrates Valley to threaten the edge of Baghdad itself.

Wherever it has taken over, its black-clad and balaclava'd fighters have imposed a draconian version of Sharia, or Islamic law, prompting thousands to flee as refugees.

Analysts point out that seizing territory is one thing, governing it is quite another.

But given the internal problems and weaknesses besetting both the Syrian and Iraqi states, there is no sign that Isis is about to be dislodged soon. So, are they actually in a position to rule?

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My Comment: History is full of examples where small extremist groups come to power and are able through luck and ruthlessness consolidate their authority and form a somewhat functional government. The Taliban in Afghanistan. The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The hard core Communists and Marxists in the Russian revolution. ISIS is just one of many.

The Success Of ISIS Is Inspiring Radicals Throughout The World

Image Credit: REUTERS/Social Media Website via Reuters TV

ISIS: A Threat Well Beyond The Middle East -- Luke Hunt, The Diplomat

The success of militants in Iraq may be inspiring radicals in Southeast Asia.

The threat of Islamic militants deploying terror tactics across Southeast Asia is making an unwelcome comeback. Driven in part by the relentless drive into Iraq by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the threat has already emerged in Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines.

Authorities in these countries fear home-grown Islamic militants in league with Baghdadi and his Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will return and plot their own caliphate, not unlike Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) did when it launched its own terror campaign in league with al-Qaeda more than a decade ago.

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My Comment: Islamic radicals are like everyone else .... they want to be with a winner .... and for the moment the perception is that ISIS is winning.

ISIS Is Destroying Iraq's Biblical History

Radu Sigheti/Reuters

ISIS Is About To Destroy Biblical History In Iraq -- Christopher Dickey, Daily Beast

Iraqi antiquities officials are calling on the Obama administration to save Nineveh and other sites around jihadist-occupied Mosul. But are drone strikes really the answer?

PARIS — More than two and a half millennia ago, the Assyrian King Senaccherib descended on his enemies “like the wolf on the fold,” as the Bible tells us—and as Lord Byron wrote in cantering cadences memorized by countless Victorian schoolchildren: “His cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea.”

The Assyrian and Babylonian empires appear throughout the Old Testament as examples of ruthless grandeur and godless decadence. The Bible says Sennacherib’s army was destroyed by the Angel of the Lord. The Israelites were carried off to Babylon, where they wept by the waters. And since the middle of the 19th century, archeologists have labored mightily to unearth the mythical and the verifiable past in the extraordinary cradle of civilizations they used to call Mesopotamia and now call Iraq.

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My Comment: A depressing read.

Is ISIS A Criminal Enterprise?

A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant waves an ISIS flag. Reuters

Declaring An Islamic State, Running A Criminal Enterprise -- The Hill

When the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) stormed into Iraq and captured Mosul, the largest city in northern Iraq, the group not only walked away with a tremendous amount of abandoned military hardware, but also raided the city's central bank and took off with some $425 million. Perhaps even more amazing is that the group was already one of the best-funded terrorist groups in the world.

SIS, which has renamed itself the Islamic State and unilaterally declared the reestablishment of an Islamic caliphate, has been financially self-sufficient for at least eight years, according to U.S. government estimates. Remember that before it renamed itself the Islamic State, the group was known as ISIS, as the Islamic State of Iraq, as al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), as Majlis Shura al-Mujahidin and as Jamaat al-Tawhid wa-l-Jihad. And unlike other groups, which are reliant on state sponsors, major donors or abuse of charity, the group now calling itself the Islamic State has been financially independent by virtue of engaging in tremendously successful criminal activity enterprises.

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My Comment: ISIS is a radical militant group and their motivation is primarily Suuni Islam .... but it is also true that the leader of this Islamic State does like to show off the bling.