Archive for category: News

Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri stressed that terrorism has become an international issue and, thus, fighting it requires all-out international cooperation.

Speaking in a Wednesday meeting with visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in Tehran, Jahangiri referred to the recent terrorist attacks in Lebanon and France, saying they made the world, especially the West, more than before realize the disastrous scopes of the threat of terrorism.

He added that these terrorist acts also proved the rightfulness of efforts by Iran and Russian in the fight against terrorism.

He described the spread of extremism and terrorism as a threat to the security of all countries and stressed the need for all-out cooperation at the international level against them.

A string of terrorist attacks killed at least 132 people and wounded dozens of others in Paris on Friday night.

A day earlier, at least 43 people were killed and more than 200 others injured after two explosions struck southern Beirut.

The ISIL terrorist group claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks in both cities.

Elsewhere in the meeting, Jahangiri highlighted Iran’s keenness to develop ties with Russia in different areas including economic and industrial fields.

He hoped that an upcoming visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tehran will help to further expand the bilateral relations.

Putin is planned to pay a visit to Iran to participate in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), due on November 23.

Rogozin, for his part, said the Russian president’s planned trip and his meetings with Iranian officials will help to strengthen the two countries’ ties.

/257

Senegal is considering banning women from wearing the burqa, amid rising fears of extremism in the west African country.

The Interior Minister, Abdoulaye Daouda, said, “Women would no longer be allowed to wear the Islamic dress, which leaves only the eyes exposed”.

“The decision was a question of national security and was designed to prevent terrorists from using the burqa as a disguise”, Daouda said.

An estimated 92 percent of Senegal’s population is Muslim. Although the country has not suffered a terrorist attack recently, authorities are concerned that militant group Boko Haram, based in northeastern Nigeria, may be trying to extend its range.

This month, police arrested five people suspected of having ties to Boko Haram as part of a nationwide crackdown.

Senegal is not alone in West Africa in banning the burqa. This year Cameroon and Chad, also with large Muslim populations, issued similar orders citing similar reasons. “Senegal is just following the trend,” said Martin Ewi, a senior researcher at the Institute for security studies.

He said the ban, though difficult to enforce, had been reasonably effective in both countries. “You still have the villages and far corners of the country where people don’t always respect the ban,” he added.

The burqa ban has been the subject of debate within Senegal, with commentators struggling to balance the national security imperative with religious freedom. “Its imposition in Senegal will cause social instability … there is a delicate line between preventive measures and respect for individual freedoms,” said Khadim Mbacke, a Dakar-based researcher.

Farid Essack, a religious studies scholar at the University of Johannesburg, said that context was key and the justifications used in Muslim countries did not necessarily apply elsewhere.

/257

Ahlul Bayt News Agency -ABNA- Kurdish forces (Peshmergas) after their sporadic attacks on Shia city of “Tuz Khormato” eventually entered the town with dozens of armored vehicles on last Thursday (21 November) and occupied parts of it.

These forces after entering the town, killed four Iraqi forces (al-Hashad al-Shaabi) at a security checkpoint, set fire to the houses and shops of Shiite Turkmens, looted their property and assets and insulted and took down Imam Hussein’s mourning flags and banners.

After that a severe clashes broke out between the forces of al-Hashad al-Shaabi and Peshmerga. Then Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq warned Peshmerga forces of a dire response if they would not stop their aggression.

For being aware of what is happening in this area, ABNA News Agency conducted an interview with “Doctor Mohammad Salehi”, an activist from Tuz Khormato.

The main content of the interview is as follows:

ABNA: At first, please tell us where is located the city of Tuz Khormato, and what is the race and religion of its people?

– Tuz Khormato is located in the province of “Salahuddin” in northern Iraq. Most of its people are Turkmen and are Twelver Shi’a (Ithnā’ashariyyah). Also a minority of Kurds live there.

ABNA: where does conflict between Kurdish forces and residents arise from?

– Massoud Barzani (an Iraqi Kurdish politician) martyrs our Shiite forces for over two years. They raid us because they don’t want Shiites of Turkmen to be here anymore. They want to evacuate this area for their Kurdish people. Lots of our people have been martyred in these attacks; even I know a family that 5 members of them were martyred.

ABNA: What reasons are behind resent clashes between Barzani forces and Shiites of Tuz Khormato?

– Actually, Barzani forces killed several members of the Badr forces and therefore resent clashes were started. So far, eight of Shia Turkmens have been martyred.

Kurdish forces are lunching their attacks from Sulaimaniyah and American helicopters also help them. They set fire to the houses and shops of the Shiite Turkmens, looted their property and assets and even insulted and took down Imam Hussein’s mourning flags and banners.

ABNA: Is there any conflict yet?

– No, there is no battle yet, but there is no deal also.

Unfortunately, the central government of Iraq did nothing to help the Shia Turkmens and just issued a statement.

ABNA: As I know, there is such a problem also in other areas, such as Diyala, Salahuddin and Nineveh, so I want to know what Barzani’s main reason is by doing these actions in Iraq?

– Barzani wants to make Diyala, Sadia and Jalawla a place for Sunnis or Kurdish people, so he is trying to evacuate these places from Shia residents.

In this case, US and Turkey have given the green light to Barzani.Kurds also did the same act in Tal Afar of Mosul, and its Shiites were forced to move to other areas. Because there is a lot of oil in Kirkuk, and the Kurds want to have the entire region.

Another goal is that if in the future the country was divided into three parts, Shiites to be in southern Iraq and therefore there will be no Shia in Kurdistan region. They even are in conflict with Kurdish Shiites and forced them to migrate to Baghdad.

ABNA: How the Shiites of Tuz Khormato are acting in facing such problem?

– Turkmen won’t leave this place, it belongs to them and Barzani cannot reach his goals in the region. They firmly resist, and with the support of government and Shia ulema they don’t reach their goals.

ABNA: At the end I want to ask you if you have any suggestion for solving the problem.

– I suggest that Shia ulema, especially Ayatollah Sistani, to issue a statement in support of the Shiites of Tuz Khormato and ask government to send them troops to be able of defending themselves.

I think support of Shia ulema in Najaf could be very helpful in this case.

We all have to seek the unity in Iraq and have to avoid any division of the country.

/149

Ahlul Bayt News Agency – The IS Takfiri group has killed two more of its captives, a Chinese and a Norwegian national, as the terrorists continue their atrocities in the territories under their control in Syrian and Iraq.

Ahlul Bayt News Agency – The philosophical aspects of the character of Imam Khomeini (RA) was introduced in a session held on the occasion of World Philosophy Day by Iranian Cultural Center in Senegal.