Tag Archives: Airstrikes

Pakistani Airstrikes Kill 34 Terrorists

The Pakistani air force conducted a series of airstrikes against terrorist positions in the mountain region near the Afghani border.

“The local population had fled their homes and villages when the operation was launched against the terrorists,” an official told Reuters.

The air force says that 34 terrorists were killed in the strikes.

The attack focused on the Pakistani version of the Taliban which while not officially connected to the Afghani Taliban, share a similar philosophy.

While they could not confirm death or injury, the military was able to confirm that the head of the Pakistani Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah, was in the area at the time of the strikes.

Local witnesses say the terrorists say there were fewer deaths.

“My elder brother said he had seen militants shifting bodies of the slain fighters to upper Tirah from Sandasa and nearby villages,” he said by telephone from the Landi Kotal subdivision of Khyber.

“Local militants of Lashkar-e-Islam told them 20 people were killed.”

ISIS Vows To “Blow Up White House”

ISIS has released a statement that they plan to “Blow up the White House, Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower.”

ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani outlined the group’s plot to take over Portugal, Spain, Paris and Rome in a 30 minute broadcast.  The message, aimed at the West, is called “So They Kill And Are Killed”.  The title is a reference to a verse in the Koran.

“We won the day Europe and U.S. dreamt of reclaiming Tal Hamis, Mosul, Sinjar, Tikrit, Qaim, Derna, Tell Abyad, and more,” stated the ISIS mouthpiece, as transcribed by Ynet News.

“We — with Allah’s help — want Paris, before Rome and Islamic Iberia and after we blow up the White House, Big Ben, and the Eiffel Tower before Paris, and Rome,” al-Adnani warned. “The Muslims will return to power, to be the vanguard and lead in every place.”

Intelligence experts say the message is really an attempt to boost the morale among the members of ISIS after a series of big losses to Iraqi troops and U.S. airstrikes.

Egypt Bombs ISIS In Libya

Egyptian planed bombed ISIS targets in Libya Monday in a direct response to the terrorist’s killing of 21 Coptic Christians shown in a video this weekend.

The planes struck militant camps, training sites and at least one weapons storage area.

The terrorists have taken advantage of the unstable government in Libya since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.  The strikes by the Egyptian military are the first direct actions in Libya’s territory by the new Egyptian government.

The military issued a call to terrorists to say that Libya is not a safe haven for anyone who would issue a terrorist attack.

“And let those near and far know that the Egyptians have a shield that protects and preserves the security of the country, and a sword that eradicates terrorism,” the Egyptian military said in a statement.

The current Libyan government also participated in the attacks on ISIS.

Pope Francis issued a condemnation of the killings, saying that the 21 were killed only because they were Christians.

Middle East observers say the action by Egypt are part of a campaign of leaders in the region to tell ISIS they will not be moved.

“It’s swift and decisive, it’s not about strategy, it’s about containing anger within Egypt,” said Hassan Hassan, co-author of a book on Islamic State.

“Just like in Jordan, it’s more about saving face, saying: ‘You can’t mess with us’. …. It’s likely to evolve into a sustained strategy of helping in the fight against ISIS (Islamic State) in neighboring countries.”

Two People Killed In Belgian Anti-Terror Operation

Two people are dead after a raid by an anti-terrorism team in Verviers, Belgium.

The group had connected to the Islamic terrorist group ISIS and had been working on Paris-style terrorist attacks within Belgium.

VTM News reported that federal Belgian police were able to take one suspect into custody near a train station as part of the operation.

A senior Belgian counter-terrorism official says that the operation in Verviers is just one of several anti-terror raids currently taking place in the country.  The group reportedly had just returned from Syria where they had received ISIS training on carrying out terrorist attacks.

The attacks reportedly were planned in retaliation for coalition airstrikes against ISIS.

The official said under condition of anonymity that situations on Thursday with the group changed to the point Belgian forces had to stop surveillance and immediately carry out the raid.