[h=1]Israel retaliatory airstrikes for rocket attack leave 6 dead in Syria; Netanyahu blames Iran[/h] Associated Press Aug. 21, 2015 | 4:41 p.m. EDT
By ALBERT AJI and IAN DEITCH, Associated Press
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Israeli airstrikes in southern Syria killed six people and wounded seven, Syrian state TV reported Friday, in retaliation for a rocket attack on Israel the previous day that Israeli officials blamed on militants backed by Iran.
Four rockets exploded in an open field in northern Galilee on Thursday. There were no injuries but it was the first time since the 1973 Mideast war that rockets from Syrian territory have slammed into Israel. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Syrian state TV said an Israeli drone strike on Friday targeted a "civilian car" close to a busy market in the village of Kom, killing five people. Ahmad Sheikh Abdul-Qader, governor of the southern region of Quneitra, said the attack happened on the road leading to the village of Khan Arnabeh, near Kom, and destroyed the car.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the country's war, said the five dead were members of the pro-government National Defense Forces. It did not elaborate.
Syrian state TV also said an Israeli air raid overnight in Quneitra killed a soldier and wounded seven.
The Israeli military did not comment on the reported casualties but said it carried out a raid Friday morning on "part of the terror cell responsible for the rocket fire at northern Israel."
Also Friday, Israel submitted a demarche to the United States and five other nations that negotiated last month's Iran nuclear deal, blaming Tehran for Thursday's rocket attack from Syria. The rare diplomatic action comes as Israel is increasingly at odds with its U.S. ally over the nuclear deal.
In the demarche, Israel said it has "credible information that the attack was carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad" and "was facilitated and directed by an Iranian operative."
Since the rocket fire, Israel has named Saeed Izaadhi, who it says heads the Palestinian division of Iran's elite Quds Force, as having orchestrated the attack but has produced no evidence to back that claim.
"This is another clear and blatant demonstration of Iran's continued and unabating support and involvement in terrorist attacks against Israel and the region in general," the demarche said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that "the military struck the cell that carried out the shooting and the Syrian forces that allowed it. We have no intention of escalating events."
"Those countries that are quick to embrace Iran should know that it was an Iranian commander who endorsed and directed the cell that fired at Israel," Netanyahu added.
In Gaza, the Islamic Jihad group denied involvement in the rocket attack.
Syrian TV, meanwhile, said the air raids aimed to "boost the morale of terrorist organizations," claiming that Israel is backing militants in the area.
Israel and Syria are bitter enemies. Israel has avoided taking sides in the Syrian civil war, which pits Assad's government against an array of militants, including the brutal Islamic State group.
By ALBERT AJI and IAN DEITCH, Associated Press
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Israeli airstrikes in southern Syria killed six people and wounded seven, Syrian state TV reported Friday, in retaliation for a rocket attack on Israel the previous day that Israeli officials blamed on militants backed by Iran.
Four rockets exploded in an open field in northern Galilee on Thursday. There were no injuries but it was the first time since the 1973 Mideast war that rockets from Syrian territory have slammed into Israel. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Syrian state TV said an Israeli drone strike on Friday targeted a "civilian car" close to a busy market in the village of Kom, killing five people. Ahmad Sheikh Abdul-Qader, governor of the southern region of Quneitra, said the attack happened on the road leading to the village of Khan Arnabeh, near Kom, and destroyed the car.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the country's war, said the five dead were members of the pro-government National Defense Forces. It did not elaborate.
Syrian state TV also said an Israeli air raid overnight in Quneitra killed a soldier and wounded seven.
The Israeli military did not comment on the reported casualties but said it carried out a raid Friday morning on "part of the terror cell responsible for the rocket fire at northern Israel."
Also Friday, Israel submitted a demarche to the United States and five other nations that negotiated last month's Iran nuclear deal, blaming Tehran for Thursday's rocket attack from Syria. The rare diplomatic action comes as Israel is increasingly at odds with its U.S. ally over the nuclear deal.
In the demarche, Israel said it has "credible information that the attack was carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad" and "was facilitated and directed by an Iranian operative."
Since the rocket fire, Israel has named Saeed Izaadhi, who it says heads the Palestinian division of Iran's elite Quds Force, as having orchestrated the attack but has produced no evidence to back that claim.
"This is another clear and blatant demonstration of Iran's continued and unabating support and involvement in terrorist attacks against Israel and the region in general," the demarche said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that "the military struck the cell that carried out the shooting and the Syrian forces that allowed it. We have no intention of escalating events."
"Those countries that are quick to embrace Iran should know that it was an Iranian commander who endorsed and directed the cell that fired at Israel," Netanyahu added.
In Gaza, the Islamic Jihad group denied involvement in the rocket attack.
Syrian TV, meanwhile, said the air raids aimed to "boost the morale of terrorist organizations," claiming that Israel is backing militants in the area.
Israel and Syria are bitter enemies. Israel has avoided taking sides in the Syrian civil war, which pits Assad's government against an array of militants, including the brutal Islamic State group.
[h=1]UK jihadist Junaid Hussain killed in Syria drone strike, says US[/h]
Image captionJunaid Hussain referred to himself as Abu Hussain Al BritaniA British man described as a "top cyber jihadist" has been killed in a military drone strike in Syria, US officials say.
They said Junaid Hussain, 21, a convicted computer hacker from Birmingham who fled to Syria in 2013, had been a "high-value target" within the Islamic State group.
The US called it a serious blow to IS.
Michael McCaul, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said his death sent an "unmistakable message".
"We need to maintain vigilance and good intelligence to stop future plotting, and ultimately we must destroy the group's terrorist sanctuary," Mr McCaul said.
Earlier, a UK government spokesman said: "We are aware of reports that an Isil terrorist of British nationality is believed to have been killed in a coalition air strike in Syria."
[h=2]Analysis by Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent[/h]Hussain's activities made him a key target for the US military, who included him at number three on a Pentagon "kill list" of IS leaders.
He became one of the most important western recruits for IS, playing a key role in radicalising and recruiting others to join the movement and plan attacks.
Whitehall officials have said in the past that his actions caused them great concern and his death would be "significant".
Hussain, a skilled computer hacker, was jailed for six months in 2012 for leaking former Prime Minister Tony Blair's private contacts online and making hoax calls to a counter-terror hotline.
In June, the Sun newspaper reported Hussain was also linked to an IS plot to detonate a bomb made with a pressure-cooker at an Armed Forces Day parade in London.
Hussain was married to former punk musician, Sally Jones, and was a known member of a computer hacking group called Team Poison.
The group has claimed responsibility for more than 1,400 offences where personal and private information has been illegally extracted from victims in the UK and around the world.
It claimed to be behind online hacking attacks involving foreign politicians, major international businesses, and an international humanitarian agency.
US officials say the drone strike that killed Hussain took place near to the city of Raqqa.
Security officials in the UK estimate about 700 Britons have travelled to Syria, and about half have since returned home.
[h=2].[/h]
- 2 hours ago
- From the sectionUK
They said Junaid Hussain, 21, a convicted computer hacker from Birmingham who fled to Syria in 2013, had been a "high-value target" within the Islamic State group.
The US called it a serious blow to IS.
Michael McCaul, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said his death sent an "unmistakable message".
"We need to maintain vigilance and good intelligence to stop future plotting, and ultimately we must destroy the group's terrorist sanctuary," Mr McCaul said.
Earlier, a UK government spokesman said: "We are aware of reports that an Isil terrorist of British nationality is believed to have been killed in a coalition air strike in Syria."
[h=2]Analysis by Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent[/h]Hussain's activities made him a key target for the US military, who included him at number three on a Pentagon "kill list" of IS leaders.
He became one of the most important western recruits for IS, playing a key role in radicalising and recruiting others to join the movement and plan attacks.
Whitehall officials have said in the past that his actions caused them great concern and his death would be "significant".
Hussain, a skilled computer hacker, was jailed for six months in 2012 for leaking former Prime Minister Tony Blair's private contacts online and making hoax calls to a counter-terror hotline.
In June, the Sun newspaper reported Hussain was also linked to an IS plot to detonate a bomb made with a pressure-cooker at an Armed Forces Day parade in London.
Hussain was married to former punk musician, Sally Jones, and was a known member of a computer hacking group called Team Poison.
The group has claimed responsibility for more than 1,400 offences where personal and private information has been illegally extracted from victims in the UK and around the world.
It claimed to be behind online hacking attacks involving foreign politicians, major international businesses, and an international humanitarian agency.
US officials say the drone strike that killed Hussain took place near to the city of Raqqa.
Security officials in the UK estimate about 700 Britons have travelled to Syria, and about half have since returned home.
[h=2].[/h]
^^^ He was a big one because he was the lead Twitter recruiter of other mentally deranged hyenas like himself.
(CNN)
"We have a high level of confidence he was killed," one U.S. official told CNN Wednesday, referring to the British-born ISIS recruiter and hacker that the U.S. believes was heavily involved in inspiring attacks.
CNN has learned that Hussain was killed in Raqqa, the self-declared capital of ISIS, also known as ISIL. Raqqa, located in northern Syria, has been treated as a safe haven by ISIS, some U.S. officials pointed out, so reaching him in the city adds to the significance of the strike.
Several U.S. officials told CNN that the drone strike was specifically targeting Hussain traveling in a vehicle in Syria after the U.S. got intelligence on where he was and watched him to confirm his presence before striking. Subsequent assessments indicated that Hussain had stepped outside when he was hit by a missile from a U.S. drone.
Asked about the strike on Hussain Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis responded: "We have conducted a number of strikes over the past 72 hours in Syria, specifically at ISIL leadership."
The mission was conducted by the U.S. military because it has clear rules of engagement to attack ISIS, and there could be no implication the British government was involved in the killing of Hussain, a British citizen.
U.S. officials said there is a good deal of sensitivity about potential reaction in Muslim communities in the UK if a formal announcement is made, given that Hussain was a British citizen targeted by the U.S.
(My reaction is, how about you go fuck yourselves? -SL)
There is now a complex process underway, as there is with all strikes targeting specific ISIS members, to confirm the targeted individual was indeed killed.
This is the second strike against a senior ISIS operative in as many weeks. Last week a drone strike killed Haji Mutazz, the top ISIS deputy to Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, head of the organization. U.S. officials said that since the Mutazz killing, ISIS leadership appears to be arresting and killing a number of people it suspects may have disclosed intelligence about the group's movements.
Hussain is described by U.S. officials as a high-value target in ISIS.
"This is a great intelligence success," one U.S. official told CNN.
Hussain is alleged to have been involved in circulating a so-called hit list of addresses and photos of U.S. military personnel put out by a group calling itself the Islamic State Hacking Division.
Hussain also was linked to the attack earlier this year on a cartoon drawing contest in Garland, Texas, where participants were asked to draw the Prophet Mohammed. Investigators believe Hussain played a role online in private messaging to radicalize and inspire one of the gunmen to launch an attack. The gunmen were shot dead by a Garland police traffic officer who was part of the on-site security contingent at the event.
Hussain's death would remove the most prolific of all of ISIS's English-language propagandists, according to CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank. In recent months, Hussain has incessantly called for attacks in the West over Twitter, as well as groomed potential terrorists in Western countries over encrypted online messaging apps, such as "Surespot," Cruickshank said.
(CNN)
"We have a high level of confidence he was killed," one U.S. official told CNN Wednesday, referring to the British-born ISIS recruiter and hacker that the U.S. believes was heavily involved in inspiring attacks.
CNN has learned that Hussain was killed in Raqqa, the self-declared capital of ISIS, also known as ISIL. Raqqa, located in northern Syria, has been treated as a safe haven by ISIS, some U.S. officials pointed out, so reaching him in the city adds to the significance of the strike.
Several U.S. officials told CNN that the drone strike was specifically targeting Hussain traveling in a vehicle in Syria after the U.S. got intelligence on where he was and watched him to confirm his presence before striking. Subsequent assessments indicated that Hussain had stepped outside when he was hit by a missile from a U.S. drone.
Asked about the strike on Hussain Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis responded: "We have conducted a number of strikes over the past 72 hours in Syria, specifically at ISIL leadership."
The mission was conducted by the U.S. military because it has clear rules of engagement to attack ISIS, and there could be no implication the British government was involved in the killing of Hussain, a British citizen.
U.S. officials said there is a good deal of sensitivity about potential reaction in Muslim communities in the UK if a formal announcement is made, given that Hussain was a British citizen targeted by the U.S.
(My reaction is, how about you go fuck yourselves? -SL)
There is now a complex process underway, as there is with all strikes targeting specific ISIS members, to confirm the targeted individual was indeed killed.
This is the second strike against a senior ISIS operative in as many weeks. Last week a drone strike killed Haji Mutazz, the top ISIS deputy to Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, head of the organization. U.S. officials said that since the Mutazz killing, ISIS leadership appears to be arresting and killing a number of people it suspects may have disclosed intelligence about the group's movements.
Hussain is described by U.S. officials as a high-value target in ISIS.
"This is a great intelligence success," one U.S. official told CNN.
Hussain is alleged to have been involved in circulating a so-called hit list of addresses and photos of U.S. military personnel put out by a group calling itself the Islamic State Hacking Division.
Hussain also was linked to the attack earlier this year on a cartoon drawing contest in Garland, Texas, where participants were asked to draw the Prophet Mohammed. Investigators believe Hussain played a role online in private messaging to radicalize and inspire one of the gunmen to launch an attack. The gunmen were shot dead by a Garland police traffic officer who was part of the on-site security contingent at the event.
Hussain's death would remove the most prolific of all of ISIS's English-language propagandists, according to CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank. In recent months, Hussain has incessantly called for attacks in the West over Twitter, as well as groomed potential terrorists in Western countries over encrypted online messaging apps, such as "Surespot," Cruickshank said.
[h=1]RAF drones take out two British jihadis: Cameron reveals ISIS fighters were killed to stop plot to carry out 'barbaric' attacks on streets of UK[/h]
.The RAF has killed three ISIS militants in Syria, among them two Britons including one plotting 'murder on our streets', David Cameron revealed today.In a dramatic Commons statement, the Prime Minister was forced to defend launching military action without asking for MPs' approval in advance.
It is the first time that a British attack has been launched in a foreign country outside of a war.
The target of the RAF drone strike in the ISIS capital of Raqqa was Reyaad Khan, 21, from Cardiff.
He was singled out in response to a 'direct threat' to the British people, including plotting 'barbaric' attacks against commemorations in the UK this summer.
Downing Street refused to confirm which events were targeted.
However, last month a major security operation was mounted in central London over fears of an ISIS attack against VJ Day parade attended by the Queen.
Two other ISIS militants, including British national Ruhul Amin, were also killed in the attack on Khan on August 21. No civilians died.
It also emerged that Briton Junaid Hussain was killed by the United States in an airstrike on August 24.
Addressing MPs for the first time since their summer break, Mr Cameron said there had been a dramatic escalation in the terror threat against Britain.
There were 15 ISIS-related attacks around the world in the whole of 2014, but this year alone there have already been more than 150.
The Prime Minister announced that six terror attacks on Britain have been foiled this year.
'If there is a direct threat to the British people and we are able to stop it taking immediate action then as Prime Minister I will take that action,' Mr Cameron said.
The Prime Minister insisted that the drone strike was 'entirely lawful' after taking legal advice from the Attorney General.
'We were exercising the UK's inherent right to self-defence. There was clear evidence of the individuals in question planning and directing armed attacks against the UK.
'These were part of a series of actual and foiled attempts to attack the UK and our allies.
'And in the prevailing circumstances in Syria, the airstrike was the only feasible means of effectively disrupting the attacks planned and directed by this individual.
'So it was necessary and proportionate for the individual self-defence of the UK.'
However, political opponents raised concerns about the decision to launch military action in Syria without first seeking permission from the House of Commons.
.
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Reyaad Khan, 21, from Cardiff, was killed in response to a 'direct threat' to the British people, the Prime Minister said
.Hussain and Khan were 'actively recruiting' ISIS sympathisers and 'seeking to orchestrate specific and barbaric attacks against the West, including directing a number of planned terrorist attacks right here in Britain, such as plots to attack high profile public commemorations, including those taking place this summer,' the PM said.'We should be under no illusion. Their intention was the murder of British citizens. So on this occasion we ourselves took action.
'Today I can inform the House that in an act of self-defence and after meticulous planning Reyaad Khan was killed in a precision air strike carried out on August 21 by an RAF remotely piloted aircraft while he was travelling in a vehicle in the area of Raqqah in Syria.
'In addition to Reyaad Khan who was the target of the strike, two IS associates were also killed, one of whom - Ruhul Amin, has been identified as a UK national.
'They were IS fighters and I can confirm there were no civilian casualties.
Mr Cameron went on: 'We took this action because there was no alternative. In this area, there is no government we can work with.
'We have no military on the ground to detain those preparing plots. And there was nothing to suggest that Reyaad Khan would ever leave Syria or desist from his desire to murder us at home.
'So we had no way of preventing his planned attacks on our country without taking direct action.'
The premier said the UK's intelligence agencies had identified the direct threat from Khan.
'At a meeting of the most senior members of the National Security Council, we agreed that should the right opportunity arise, then the military action should take action,' he said.
'The strike was conducted according to specific military rules of engagement, which always comply with international law and the principles of proportionality and military necessity.
'The military assessed the target location and chose the optimum time to minimise the risk of civilian casualties. This was a sensitive operation to prevent a very real threat to our country.'
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The Prime Minister defended the decision to launch military action in Syria without asking for MPs to approve airstrikes in advance
Mr Cameron was humiliated in 2013 when Tory rebels joined with Labour to vote down a plan to launch missile strikes against the Assad regime.
The Prime Minister, Chancellor George Osborne, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond have agreed there is a 'strong case' for action in Syria as well as neighbouring Iraq.
A vote on joining bombing raids against ISIS is expected in the Commons next month.
But the drone strike against Khan was authorised by Mr Fallon at a meeting of the National Security Council to prevent a 'very real threat to our country', Mr Cameron said.
Labour's acting leader Harriet Harman said she only learned of the August 21 attack for the first time at a briefing earlier today.
Responding to Mr Cameron's statement, she called for the legal advice justifying the decision to be published.
Miss Harman added: 'Why didn't the Attorney General authorise this specific action rather than merely 'confirming there was a legal basis for it'?'
She continued: 'What was it about this individual and his actions that singled him out from all that has gone before? Did he represent an ongoing threat or was the threat based on a specific act he was plotting?'
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Last month a major security operation was mounted in central London over fears of an ISIS attack against a VJ Day parade attended by the Queen
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Security chiefs disrupted the plot to cause carnage at the events to mark the end of the Far East campaign, during which 30,000 British troops were killed between 1941 to 1945
Ms Harman said there was a need for 'independent scrutiny' of the attack and said David Anderson, the independent reviewer of counter terrorism policy, should review the events.
She told MPs the Labour leadership - due to hand over to the newly elected leader on Saturday - would look at any case for expanding on-going British bombing in Iraq into Syria.
Ms Harman said: 'We will carefully consider any proposals in relation to military action in Syria the Government brings forward. But we all need to be clear about what difference any action would make to our objective of defeating Isil, about the nature of any action and its objectives, and the legal basis.
'Potential action must command the support of other nations in the region, including Iraq and the coalition already taking action in Syria.'
Brendan O'Hara, the SNP defence spokesman said: 'David Cameron has got to come clean about his plans following these developments.
'I have long been concerned about what exactly his plans are to increase military activity – and now we are getting an insight into what may be going on.
'I fear that David Cameron is planning to use this awful humanitarian tragedy as a smokescreen in order to fulfil his long-held desire to involve UK forces in more military action in Syria
'The case for bombing in Syria has simply not been made – and any involvement of British service personnel in bombing without the approval of Parliament clearly flouts the democratic decision taken by the House of Commons.'
The announcement came as the Prime Minster confirmed that Britain will take thousands of refugees to ease the humanitarian crisis in Syria.
Mr Cameron is to raid the foreign aid budget to fund support for adults and children who are resettled in Britain.
[h=2]REYAAD KHAN: Isis poster boy who was target of British strike[/h]Reyaad Khan was an ISIS poster boy who appeared in a shocking recruitment video aimed at luring jihadists to Syria and Iraq.
Before his death he could have faced a war crimes trial as he repeatedly uploaded bloodthirsty posts and pictures on social media bragging about the inhumane killings.
In one he posted graphic photographs of the distorted corpses of alleged victims, tweeting: 'Guys we caught & executed. This is how they looked less than an hr l8er'.
The former college student from the Welsh capital also laughed about witnessing the 'longest decapitation ever' and boasted in another: 'Executed many prisoners yesterday.'
His claims about his involvement in the crimes carried out by a unit of ISIS are now being investigated by the United Nations.
Khan is believed to have been radicalised through extremist websites in his bedroom in Cardiff.
It was all so different back in 2009 when Khan, then 15, was said to be thrilled to meet former Labour minister Mr Balls.
Just a year after the picture was taken, Khan spoke on a film of his wish to rid the world of 'evil' and of the problems of growing up in a deprived inner-city area.
He also once said in a Facebook post he wanted to become the country's first Asian Prime Minister after sitting on a local youth forum.
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British ISIS fighter Reyaad Khan (circled, left) from Wales was killed in an airstrike in Syria just six years after he was 'thrilled' to meet ex- Labour MP Ed Balls (circled, right)
Going by the nom de guerre Abu Dujana Britani, had previously boasted of being prepared to be a martyr and claimed he was planning 'fireworks', meaning to become a suicide bomber.
Confirmation of his death comes after a number of ISIS supporters claimed on Twitter last month that he had died.
Khan – a former pupil at Cardiff's Cantonian High School in Cardiff – was described by friends as a studious pupil who loved sports.
From there he went to St David's Catholic sixth-form college in the city.
He left for Syria in 2013 with medical student Nasser Muthana, 21, who was joined in Syria three months later by his younger brother, Aseel, 18.
Nasser had taken £100 from his father to go on an Islamic seminar in Shrewsbury in November, but instead went to Syria.
At the time of his disappearance, Khan's family said they were desperate for him to come home.
His mother Rukia, 41, pleaded: 'Please come back before it is too late. You are my only one son.
'We can't eat and sleep Reyaad. Please come back before it's too late. I love you so much.'
[h=2]ABDUL AMIN: Aberdeen schoolboy killed in RAF strike[/h]Aberdeen schoolboy Abdul Raqib Amin, who also died in the attack on Khan, appeared in a now notorious recruitment video for Islamic militant group ISIS and fled to Syria after breaking up with his fiancée.
Amin was filmed alongside fellow Britons Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana, both 20, urging other Muslims to fight for Isis in the Middle East.
Wearing wrap-around sunglasses and a white scarf around his head, Amin described jihad as 'the cure for depression' in the video.
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Amin was educated in Aberdeen after moving from Bangladesh and his family left the Scottish city for Leicester a few years ago
Speaking in front of Isis's black flag, he says: 'Are you willing to sacrifice the fat job you've got, the big car you've got, the family you have? Are you willing to sacrifice this, for the sake of Allah?
'Definitely, if you sacrifice something for Allah, Allah will give you 700 times more than this.'
Amin was educated in Aberdeen after moving from Bangladesh and his family left the Scottish city for Leicester a few years ago, according to reports.
Stunned former classmates described how Amin was a 'really outgoing guy' who 'could have done really well for himself.'
He was said to have been 'brainwashed' after he became depressed when he split from his girlfriend.
One friend said: 'I think that was the turning point. He was vulnerable - and that made him easy pickings for the monsters who have brainwashed him.'
.
[h=2]JUNAID HUSSAIN: Briton killed by U.S. was no.3 on wanted list[/h]
+8
Junaid Hussain, 21, was no.3 on America's ISIS target list due to his hacking credentials and key role as a foreign fighter recruiter for the jihadi group before the United States killed him in a drone strike
Junaid Hussain, 21, was no.3 on America's ISIS target list due to his hacking credentials and key role as a foreign fighter recruiter for the jihadi group before the United States killed him in a drone strike.
Hussain, who fled Birmingham in 2013, was married to 'Mrs Terror' Sally Jones, a 44-year-old rocker turned Muslim convert from Kent. She met the jihadi fighter online and left the UK with her son to join him in Syria.
Jones, who now refers to herself as Sakinah Hussain, reportedly told a British jihadi bride that her husband had not been killed in an airstrike and was alive and well, which David Cameron proved false today.
Hussain's wide, dubbed Mrs Terror, said she is 'blessed her husband is still alive,' according to the British jihadi bride.
Just before his death Jones and her husband made headlines after they sent bombmaking manuals and boasted of 'lone wolf' terror attacks to investigative journalists, posing as jihadi brides.
Computer hacker Junaid was well known on social media, frequently creating new accounts in order to threaten terror attacks on the West.
In June this year, he was linked with an IS plot to attack an Armed Forces Day parade in south London.
It was believed the plan was to carry out pressure cooker bomb attack, similar to the Boston Marathon attack in 2013.
The intended targets were soldiers and bystanders on the route. The plan was scuppered only after Hussain unwittingly recruited an undercover journalist.
He told the investigator: 'It will be big. We will hit the kuffar (unbelievers) hard InshAllah. Hit their soldiers in their own land. InshAllah. Soldiers that served in Iraq and Afganistan will be present. Jump in the crowd and detonate the bomb.
'They think they can kill Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan then come back to the UK and be safe. We'll hit them hard InshAllah.'
.
- Reyaad Khan, 21, from Cardiff, was among three killed on August 21
- Cameron insists that Khan was a 'terrorist directing murder on our streets'
- Two other jihadis killed by RAF including Aberdeen schoolboy Ruhul Amin
- United States killed Briton Junaid Hussain in an airstrike on August 24
- PM defends decision to launch action without getting MPs' approval
.The RAF has killed three ISIS militants in Syria, among them two Britons including one plotting 'murder on our streets', David Cameron revealed today.In a dramatic Commons statement, the Prime Minister was forced to defend launching military action without asking for MPs' approval in advance.
It is the first time that a British attack has been launched in a foreign country outside of a war.
The target of the RAF drone strike in the ISIS capital of Raqqa was Reyaad Khan, 21, from Cardiff.
He was singled out in response to a 'direct threat' to the British people, including plotting 'barbaric' attacks against commemorations in the UK this summer.
Downing Street refused to confirm which events were targeted.
However, last month a major security operation was mounted in central London over fears of an ISIS attack against VJ Day parade attended by the Queen.
Two other ISIS militants, including British national Ruhul Amin, were also killed in the attack on Khan on August 21. No civilians died.
It also emerged that Briton Junaid Hussain was killed by the United States in an airstrike on August 24.
Addressing MPs for the first time since their summer break, Mr Cameron said there had been a dramatic escalation in the terror threat against Britain.
There were 15 ISIS-related attacks around the world in the whole of 2014, but this year alone there have already been more than 150.
The Prime Minister announced that six terror attacks on Britain have been foiled this year.
'If there is a direct threat to the British people and we are able to stop it taking immediate action then as Prime Minister I will take that action,' Mr Cameron said.
The Prime Minister insisted that the drone strike was 'entirely lawful' after taking legal advice from the Attorney General.
'We were exercising the UK's inherent right to self-defence. There was clear evidence of the individuals in question planning and directing armed attacks against the UK.
'These were part of a series of actual and foiled attempts to attack the UK and our allies.
'And in the prevailing circumstances in Syria, the airstrike was the only feasible means of effectively disrupting the attacks planned and directed by this individual.
'So it was necessary and proportionate for the individual self-defence of the UK.'
However, political opponents raised concerns about the decision to launch military action in Syria without first seeking permission from the House of Commons.
.
- SHARE PICTURE
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Reyaad Khan, 21, from Cardiff, was killed in response to a 'direct threat' to the British people, the Prime Minister said
.Hussain and Khan were 'actively recruiting' ISIS sympathisers and 'seeking to orchestrate specific and barbaric attacks against the West, including directing a number of planned terrorist attacks right here in Britain, such as plots to attack high profile public commemorations, including those taking place this summer,' the PM said.'We should be under no illusion. Their intention was the murder of British citizens. So on this occasion we ourselves took action.
'Today I can inform the House that in an act of self-defence and after meticulous planning Reyaad Khan was killed in a precision air strike carried out on August 21 by an RAF remotely piloted aircraft while he was travelling in a vehicle in the area of Raqqah in Syria.
'In addition to Reyaad Khan who was the target of the strike, two IS associates were also killed, one of whom - Ruhul Amin, has been identified as a UK national.
'They were IS fighters and I can confirm there were no civilian casualties.
Mr Cameron went on: 'We took this action because there was no alternative. In this area, there is no government we can work with.
'We have no military on the ground to detain those preparing plots. And there was nothing to suggest that Reyaad Khan would ever leave Syria or desist from his desire to murder us at home.
'So we had no way of preventing his planned attacks on our country without taking direct action.'
The premier said the UK's intelligence agencies had identified the direct threat from Khan.
'At a meeting of the most senior members of the National Security Council, we agreed that should the right opportunity arise, then the military action should take action,' he said.
'The strike was conducted according to specific military rules of engagement, which always comply with international law and the principles of proportionality and military necessity.
'The military assessed the target location and chose the optimum time to minimise the risk of civilian casualties. This was a sensitive operation to prevent a very real threat to our country.'
+8
The Prime Minister defended the decision to launch military action in Syria without asking for MPs to approve airstrikes in advance
Mr Cameron was humiliated in 2013 when Tory rebels joined with Labour to vote down a plan to launch missile strikes against the Assad regime.
The Prime Minister, Chancellor George Osborne, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond have agreed there is a 'strong case' for action in Syria as well as neighbouring Iraq.
A vote on joining bombing raids against ISIS is expected in the Commons next month.
But the drone strike against Khan was authorised by Mr Fallon at a meeting of the National Security Council to prevent a 'very real threat to our country', Mr Cameron said.
Labour's acting leader Harriet Harman said she only learned of the August 21 attack for the first time at a briefing earlier today.
Responding to Mr Cameron's statement, she called for the legal advice justifying the decision to be published.
Miss Harman added: 'Why didn't the Attorney General authorise this specific action rather than merely 'confirming there was a legal basis for it'?'
She continued: 'What was it about this individual and his actions that singled him out from all that has gone before? Did he represent an ongoing threat or was the threat based on a specific act he was plotting?'
+8
Last month a major security operation was mounted in central London over fears of an ISIS attack against a VJ Day parade attended by the Queen
+8
Security chiefs disrupted the plot to cause carnage at the events to mark the end of the Far East campaign, during which 30,000 British troops were killed between 1941 to 1945
Ms Harman said there was a need for 'independent scrutiny' of the attack and said David Anderson, the independent reviewer of counter terrorism policy, should review the events.
She told MPs the Labour leadership - due to hand over to the newly elected leader on Saturday - would look at any case for expanding on-going British bombing in Iraq into Syria.
Ms Harman said: 'We will carefully consider any proposals in relation to military action in Syria the Government brings forward. But we all need to be clear about what difference any action would make to our objective of defeating Isil, about the nature of any action and its objectives, and the legal basis.
'Potential action must command the support of other nations in the region, including Iraq and the coalition already taking action in Syria.'
Brendan O'Hara, the SNP defence spokesman said: 'David Cameron has got to come clean about his plans following these developments.
'I have long been concerned about what exactly his plans are to increase military activity – and now we are getting an insight into what may be going on.
'I fear that David Cameron is planning to use this awful humanitarian tragedy as a smokescreen in order to fulfil his long-held desire to involve UK forces in more military action in Syria
'The case for bombing in Syria has simply not been made – and any involvement of British service personnel in bombing without the approval of Parliament clearly flouts the democratic decision taken by the House of Commons.'
The announcement came as the Prime Minster confirmed that Britain will take thousands of refugees to ease the humanitarian crisis in Syria.
Mr Cameron is to raid the foreign aid budget to fund support for adults and children who are resettled in Britain.
[h=2]REYAAD KHAN: Isis poster boy who was target of British strike[/h]Reyaad Khan was an ISIS poster boy who appeared in a shocking recruitment video aimed at luring jihadists to Syria and Iraq.
Before his death he could have faced a war crimes trial as he repeatedly uploaded bloodthirsty posts and pictures on social media bragging about the inhumane killings.
In one he posted graphic photographs of the distorted corpses of alleged victims, tweeting: 'Guys we caught & executed. This is how they looked less than an hr l8er'.
The former college student from the Welsh capital also laughed about witnessing the 'longest decapitation ever' and boasted in another: 'Executed many prisoners yesterday.'
His claims about his involvement in the crimes carried out by a unit of ISIS are now being investigated by the United Nations.
Khan is believed to have been radicalised through extremist websites in his bedroom in Cardiff.
It was all so different back in 2009 when Khan, then 15, was said to be thrilled to meet former Labour minister Mr Balls.
Just a year after the picture was taken, Khan spoke on a film of his wish to rid the world of 'evil' and of the problems of growing up in a deprived inner-city area.
He also once said in a Facebook post he wanted to become the country's first Asian Prime Minister after sitting on a local youth forum.
+8
British ISIS fighter Reyaad Khan (circled, left) from Wales was killed in an airstrike in Syria just six years after he was 'thrilled' to meet ex- Labour MP Ed Balls (circled, right)
Going by the nom de guerre Abu Dujana Britani, had previously boasted of being prepared to be a martyr and claimed he was planning 'fireworks', meaning to become a suicide bomber.
Confirmation of his death comes after a number of ISIS supporters claimed on Twitter last month that he had died.
Khan – a former pupil at Cardiff's Cantonian High School in Cardiff – was described by friends as a studious pupil who loved sports.
From there he went to St David's Catholic sixth-form college in the city.
He left for Syria in 2013 with medical student Nasser Muthana, 21, who was joined in Syria three months later by his younger brother, Aseel, 18.
Nasser had taken £100 from his father to go on an Islamic seminar in Shrewsbury in November, but instead went to Syria.
At the time of his disappearance, Khan's family said they were desperate for him to come home.
His mother Rukia, 41, pleaded: 'Please come back before it is too late. You are my only one son.
'We can't eat and sleep Reyaad. Please come back before it's too late. I love you so much.'
[h=2]ABDUL AMIN: Aberdeen schoolboy killed in RAF strike[/h]Aberdeen schoolboy Abdul Raqib Amin, who also died in the attack on Khan, appeared in a now notorious recruitment video for Islamic militant group ISIS and fled to Syria after breaking up with his fiancée.
Amin was filmed alongside fellow Britons Reyaad Khan and Nasser Muthana, both 20, urging other Muslims to fight for Isis in the Middle East.
Wearing wrap-around sunglasses and a white scarf around his head, Amin described jihad as 'the cure for depression' in the video.
+8
Amin was educated in Aberdeen after moving from Bangladesh and his family left the Scottish city for Leicester a few years ago
Speaking in front of Isis's black flag, he says: 'Are you willing to sacrifice the fat job you've got, the big car you've got, the family you have? Are you willing to sacrifice this, for the sake of Allah?
'Definitely, if you sacrifice something for Allah, Allah will give you 700 times more than this.'
Amin was educated in Aberdeen after moving from Bangladesh and his family left the Scottish city for Leicester a few years ago, according to reports.
Stunned former classmates described how Amin was a 'really outgoing guy' who 'could have done really well for himself.'
He was said to have been 'brainwashed' after he became depressed when he split from his girlfriend.
One friend said: 'I think that was the turning point. He was vulnerable - and that made him easy pickings for the monsters who have brainwashed him.'
.
[h=2]JUNAID HUSSAIN: Briton killed by U.S. was no.3 on wanted list[/h]
+8
Junaid Hussain, 21, was no.3 on America's ISIS target list due to his hacking credentials and key role as a foreign fighter recruiter for the jihadi group before the United States killed him in a drone strike
Junaid Hussain, 21, was no.3 on America's ISIS target list due to his hacking credentials and key role as a foreign fighter recruiter for the jihadi group before the United States killed him in a drone strike.
Hussain, who fled Birmingham in 2013, was married to 'Mrs Terror' Sally Jones, a 44-year-old rocker turned Muslim convert from Kent. She met the jihadi fighter online and left the UK with her son to join him in Syria.
Jones, who now refers to herself as Sakinah Hussain, reportedly told a British jihadi bride that her husband had not been killed in an airstrike and was alive and well, which David Cameron proved false today.
Hussain's wide, dubbed Mrs Terror, said she is 'blessed her husband is still alive,' according to the British jihadi bride.
Just before his death Jones and her husband made headlines after they sent bombmaking manuals and boasted of 'lone wolf' terror attacks to investigative journalists, posing as jihadi brides.
Computer hacker Junaid was well known on social media, frequently creating new accounts in order to threaten terror attacks on the West.
In June this year, he was linked with an IS plot to attack an Armed Forces Day parade in south London.
It was believed the plan was to carry out pressure cooker bomb attack, similar to the Boston Marathon attack in 2013.
The intended targets were soldiers and bystanders on the route. The plan was scuppered only after Hussain unwittingly recruited an undercover journalist.
He told the investigator: 'It will be big. We will hit the kuffar (unbelievers) hard InshAllah. Hit their soldiers in their own land. InshAllah. Soldiers that served in Iraq and Afganistan will be present. Jump in the crowd and detonate the bomb.
'They think they can kill Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan then come back to the UK and be safe. We'll hit them hard InshAllah.'
.
Muslims
not my words but so so true...
They're not happy in Gaza ..
They're not happy in Egypt ..
They're not happy in Libya ..
They're not happy in Morocco ..
They're not happy in Iran ..
They're not happy in Iraq ..
They're not happy in Yemen ...
They're not happy in Afghanistan ...
They're not happy in Pakistan ..
They're not happy in Syria ..
They're not happy in Lebanon ...
SO.. WHERE ARE THEY HAPPY?
They're happy in Australia ..
They're happy in Canada ..
They're happy in England ..
They're happy in France ..
They're happy in Italy ..
They're happy in Germany ..
They're happy in Sweden ..
They're happy in the USA ..
They're happy in Norway ..
They're happy in Holland ..
They're happy in Denmark ..
Basically, they're happy in every country that is not Muslim and unhappy in every country that is!
AND WHO DO THEY BLAME?
Not Islam.
Not their leadership.
Not themselves
THEY BLAME THE COUNTRIES THEY ARE HAPPY IN !
AND THEN- They want to change those countries to be like, THE COUNTRY THEY CAME FROM WHERE THEY WERE UNHAPPY!
not my words but so so true...
They're not happy in Gaza ..
They're not happy in Egypt ..
They're not happy in Libya ..
They're not happy in Morocco ..
They're not happy in Iran ..
They're not happy in Iraq ..
They're not happy in Yemen ...
They're not happy in Afghanistan ...
They're not happy in Pakistan ..
They're not happy in Syria ..
They're not happy in Lebanon ...
SO.. WHERE ARE THEY HAPPY?
They're happy in Australia ..
They're happy in Canada ..
They're happy in England ..
They're happy in France ..
They're happy in Italy ..
They're happy in Germany ..
They're happy in Sweden ..
They're happy in the USA ..
They're happy in Norway ..
They're happy in Holland ..
They're happy in Denmark ..
Basically, they're happy in every country that is not Muslim and unhappy in every country that is!
AND WHO DO THEY BLAME?
Not Islam.
Not their leadership.
Not themselves
THEY BLAME THE COUNTRIES THEY ARE HAPPY IN !
AND THEN- They want to change those countries to be like, THE COUNTRY THEY CAME FROM WHERE THEY WERE UNHAPPY!
Senior Iranian commander killed in Syria
Killing of Hossein Hamedani by ‘terrorists’ turns spotlight on Tehran’s growing role in bolstering Assad regime
A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander has been killed in Syria in an incident that sheds light on Tehran’s growing, shadowy role in bolstering Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Iranian forces confirmed on Friday that Hossein Hamedani, described as an elite and exceptional commander and a defender of the Shia holy sites in Damascus, was killed in the vicinity of Aleppo on Thursday evening.
He was the most senior Iranian military officer on a foreign operation to be killed in 36 years since the 1979 Islamic revolution. His death comes at the time when Russia, Tehran’s regional ally, has launched a military campaign in Syria in support of Assad, adding a new dimension to an already bruising conflict.
Tasnim, an Iranian news agency affiliated to the guards, said Hamedani was operating in “an advisory capacity” when “takfiri terrorists” killed him, but it did not disclose the exact details surrounding his death, and it was not possible to verify the claim. A takiri is a Sunni Muslim who accuses another Muslim of apostasy, and is Iran’s terminology when referring to Islamic State.
The extent of Tehran’s military involvement in Syria is not clear but the increasing number of Iranian deaths and funeral ceremonies has revealed its continuing support for Assad. A number of sources told the Guardian that funeral processions for returning Iranian forces from Syria held in Tehran and other major cities have been conspicuous in recent months. Iran also backs Russia’s airstrikes and is reported to have given Russian fighter jets access to its airspace.
Morad Veisi, an Iranian analyst with Radio Farda in Prague who has given lectures in Tehran on the role of the armed forces, said Hamedani’s death demonstrated how far Iranian leaders were prepared to go to defend Assad.
“Like at the time of Iran-Iraq war when you saw very senior Iranian commanders being present in battlefronts and killed in combats, you now see them in the heart of Syrian combats alongside ordinary officers, it shows how much Iran is putting in to bolster Assad,” he said.
Hamedani’s military ranking in the guards was a level similar to those held by the elite force’s heads of ground and air forces. He was a veteran commander from the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and had fought in battles against “anti-revolutionaries” in Iran’s Kurdistan region. Tasnim said he had been previously based in the Iraqi city of Najaf.
Iran appears to have stepped up its military campaign in Syria after the Russian airstrikes, Veisi said, with the number of ground operations in Idlib and Hama increasing. “I think Iran’s will supporting Syria has become firmer in the wake of Russian involvement and when you refer to Iranian agencies associated to the guards, you see more reports of funeral ceremonies in recent weeks, especially among Iran-based Afghan expatriates.”
Veisi was referring to Fatemioun Bridge, an Iranian military unit consisting of Shia Afghans living in Iran whom Tehran has dispatched to fight in Syria. Iran has held at least one major conference this year honouring Afghan expatriates killed in Syria.
Ali Alfoneh, senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, who tracks the number of Iranian deaths in Syria, said the death count had been particularly high in 2015, with 60 to 70 Iranians killed, compared with a total of 140 killed since the conflict began. “In the course of the past three years, this year has been a very active year for the Revolutionary Guards and this can be detected by counting the number of Iranians killed in combats in Syria,” he said.
“But when it comes to the activity of the guards in the wake of the Russian involvement, it’s too early to say, because we only get the information at the time when there is a martyr burial in Iran and that data has not arrived yet. In one or two weeks’ time we will know.”
He said there were conflicting reports among Iranian sources whether Hamedani still held his hitherto senior position in Syria at the time of his death. According to an Iranian opposition website, he was demoted recently because of a dissatisfaction in Tehran about the guards’ conduct in Syria.
During the funeral ceremony in January for Mohammad-Ali Allahdadi, another member of the Revolutionary Guards killed in Syria, Hamedani had said he was prepared for martyrdom.
“Allahdadi’s friends are waiting [for martyrdom] like him, and those of us who are left are ready to fight the enemies of Islam and those making sedition and war,” he was quoted as saying by Tasnim. “We are ready today to follow the red path of martyrdom and people of our country are fond of martyrs.”
In February 2013, another senior Revolutionary Guards figure, Gen Hassan Shateri, was killed while travelling from Syria to Lebanon. Iran blamed his death on “the agents and supporters of the Zionist regime”.
Syria gives Iran physical access to Lebanon and Hezbollah, which is strategically important for Tehran’s leaders because of the group’s geographical position in respect to Israel. Iran does not recognise Israel as a country and usually refers to it as “the Zionist regime”.
Killing of Hossein Hamedani by ‘terrorists’ turns spotlight on Tehran’s growing role in bolstering Assad regime
A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander has been killed in Syria in an incident that sheds light on Tehran’s growing, shadowy role in bolstering Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Iranian forces confirmed on Friday that Hossein Hamedani, described as an elite and exceptional commander and a defender of the Shia holy sites in Damascus, was killed in the vicinity of Aleppo on Thursday evening.
He was the most senior Iranian military officer on a foreign operation to be killed in 36 years since the 1979 Islamic revolution. His death comes at the time when Russia, Tehran’s regional ally, has launched a military campaign in Syria in support of Assad, adding a new dimension to an already bruising conflict.
Tasnim, an Iranian news agency affiliated to the guards, said Hamedani was operating in “an advisory capacity” when “takfiri terrorists” killed him, but it did not disclose the exact details surrounding his death, and it was not possible to verify the claim. A takiri is a Sunni Muslim who accuses another Muslim of apostasy, and is Iran’s terminology when referring to Islamic State.
The extent of Tehran’s military involvement in Syria is not clear but the increasing number of Iranian deaths and funeral ceremonies has revealed its continuing support for Assad. A number of sources told the Guardian that funeral processions for returning Iranian forces from Syria held in Tehran and other major cities have been conspicuous in recent months. Iran also backs Russia’s airstrikes and is reported to have given Russian fighter jets access to its airspace.
Morad Veisi, an Iranian analyst with Radio Farda in Prague who has given lectures in Tehran on the role of the armed forces, said Hamedani’s death demonstrated how far Iranian leaders were prepared to go to defend Assad.
“Like at the time of Iran-Iraq war when you saw very senior Iranian commanders being present in battlefronts and killed in combats, you now see them in the heart of Syrian combats alongside ordinary officers, it shows how much Iran is putting in to bolster Assad,” he said.
Hamedani’s military ranking in the guards was a level similar to those held by the elite force’s heads of ground and air forces. He was a veteran commander from the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and had fought in battles against “anti-revolutionaries” in Iran’s Kurdistan region. Tasnim said he had been previously based in the Iraqi city of Najaf.
Iran appears to have stepped up its military campaign in Syria after the Russian airstrikes, Veisi said, with the number of ground operations in Idlib and Hama increasing. “I think Iran’s will supporting Syria has become firmer in the wake of Russian involvement and when you refer to Iranian agencies associated to the guards, you see more reports of funeral ceremonies in recent weeks, especially among Iran-based Afghan expatriates.”
Veisi was referring to Fatemioun Bridge, an Iranian military unit consisting of Shia Afghans living in Iran whom Tehran has dispatched to fight in Syria. Iran has held at least one major conference this year honouring Afghan expatriates killed in Syria.
Ali Alfoneh, senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, who tracks the number of Iranian deaths in Syria, said the death count had been particularly high in 2015, with 60 to 70 Iranians killed, compared with a total of 140 killed since the conflict began. “In the course of the past three years, this year has been a very active year for the Revolutionary Guards and this can be detected by counting the number of Iranians killed in combats in Syria,” he said.
“But when it comes to the activity of the guards in the wake of the Russian involvement, it’s too early to say, because we only get the information at the time when there is a martyr burial in Iran and that data has not arrived yet. In one or two weeks’ time we will know.”
He said there were conflicting reports among Iranian sources whether Hamedani still held his hitherto senior position in Syria at the time of his death. According to an Iranian opposition website, he was demoted recently because of a dissatisfaction in Tehran about the guards’ conduct in Syria.
During the funeral ceremony in January for Mohammad-Ali Allahdadi, another member of the Revolutionary Guards killed in Syria, Hamedani had said he was prepared for martyrdom.
“Allahdadi’s friends are waiting [for martyrdom] like him, and those of us who are left are ready to fight the enemies of Islam and those making sedition and war,” he was quoted as saying by Tasnim. “We are ready today to follow the red path of martyrdom and people of our country are fond of martyrs.”
In February 2013, another senior Revolutionary Guards figure, Gen Hassan Shateri, was killed while travelling from Syria to Lebanon. Iran blamed his death on “the agents and supporters of the Zionist regime”.
Syria gives Iran physical access to Lebanon and Hezbollah, which is strategically important for Tehran’s leaders because of the group’s geographical position in respect to Israel. Iran does not recognise Israel as a country and usually refers to it as “the Zionist regime”.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese group Hezbollah mourned one of its top commanders who was killed fighting alongside Syrian army forces in Idlib province, in a funeral procession broadcast live on Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on Monday.
Pallbearers dressed in camouflage military fatigues processed slowly to solemn trumpet music with the coffin of Hassan al-Haj, a veteran commander of the Shi'ite movement, which was draped in a yellow Hezbollah flag.
The coffin was then driven through towns in southern Lebanon, Hebzollah's stronghold, in a convoy of black cars and ambulances.
Haj was to be buried in his hometown of al-Luwaizeh in the Tuffah region at 4:00 p.m., two days after his death in clashes with Syrian rebels in Idlib.
Hezbollah has played a crucial role fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the four-year civil war across the border. In the last two days, it has helped recapture territory from insurgents in Hama and Idlib provinces where Russian forces backing Assad have been bombing.
Al-Manar said Haj, born in 1965, had in his 20s been a top commander in southern Lebanon in battles against Israel.
"He participated in most of the jihad operations, especially in the 1980s when he was commander of the Tuffah region" it said, referring to him as "the martyr commander Abu Mohammed" and showing footage of him test-firing a Kalashnikov assault rifle and other weapons.
Mourners waving Hezbollah flags threw rice on the coffin before it departed in convoy and recited Shi'ite Muslim prayers for the dead invoking the Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
Body of Abu Mohammad al_Iqlim Hezbollah's highest military rank in Syria so far
Pallbearers dressed in camouflage military fatigues processed slowly to solemn trumpet music with the coffin of Hassan al-Haj, a veteran commander of the Shi'ite movement, which was draped in a yellow Hezbollah flag.
The coffin was then driven through towns in southern Lebanon, Hebzollah's stronghold, in a convoy of black cars and ambulances.
Haj was to be buried in his hometown of al-Luwaizeh in the Tuffah region at 4:00 p.m., two days after his death in clashes with Syrian rebels in Idlib.
Hezbollah has played a crucial role fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the four-year civil war across the border. In the last two days, it has helped recapture territory from insurgents in Hama and Idlib provinces where Russian forces backing Assad have been bombing.
Al-Manar said Haj, born in 1965, had in his 20s been a top commander in southern Lebanon in battles against Israel.
"He participated in most of the jihad operations, especially in the 1980s when he was commander of the Tuffah region" it said, referring to him as "the martyr commander Abu Mohammed" and showing footage of him test-firing a Kalashnikov assault rifle and other weapons.
Mourners waving Hezbollah flags threw rice on the coffin before it departed in convoy and recited Shi'ite Muslim prayers for the dead invoking the Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
Body of Abu Mohammad al_Iqlim Hezbollah's highest military rank in Syria so far
A senior leader from Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, has been reportedly killed alongside two other members of the terrorist group in the province of Aleppo.
Sanafi Al-Nasr, who was allegedly killed in an airstrike near the town of Dana, was Al-Qaeda’s senior strategist and an important power broker, the Iranian Fars news agency reports, citing jihadist sources close to the killed militant leader.
Al-Nusra released several photos showing a car hit by an air strike along with several bodies of the dead militants, although their identities were not verified. However, jihadists claimed on social media that Al-Nasr had been killed.
Other photos published by the terrorist organization show the alleged graves of Al-Nasr and two other militants who were killed in an airstrike.
The death of Sanafi Al-Nasr, whose real name was Abdul Mohsen Abdallah Ibrahim Al-Charekh, was also confirmed by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who claimed the jihadist leader was killed on Thursday.
Al-Nasr, who was born in Saudi Arabia, was a member of Al-Qaeda’s so-called “Victory Committee” that was responsible for developing and implementing the group’s strategy and policies.
The jihadists did not specify if he was killed in a Russian airstrike or in an attack carried out by the US-led coalition. Some militants claimed on social media, it was a ‘Crusader coalition’ that delivered the strike.
Russian warplanes have been hitting militants’ positions near Aleppo for several days. On Thursday, they targeted a total of 32 militant positions in several provinces including Aleppo, the Russian defense Ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov said.
On Saturday, Russian planes struck 49 jihadists’ targets in the provinces of Idlib, Hama, Latakia, Damascus, and Aleppo. “As a result of airstrikes, 11 command centers and control posts of the militants have been destroyed,” Konashenkov said.
An explosives workshop, three artillery positions, nine ammunition depots, two military equipment bases and 15 terrorist camps were also hit during the latest strikes, the ministry said.
The US-led coalition also conducted three airstrikes in Syria near Aleppo on Thursday targeting tactical units and an explosive device cluster, Reuters reports citing the coalition’s statement.
The Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters have started a major operation in the Aleppo province with Russia’s air support. They have already recaptured several villages and towns in the province
The al Nusra Front released this photo claiming it is the aftermath of the airstrike by Russian forces -Nusra-Front via The Long War
The al-Nusra Front leaders Sanafi al-Nasr, Abdul Malik al-Jazrawi and Abu Yasir al-Maghrebi have reportedly been killed in Syria in a Russian airstrikeal-Nusra-Front via The Long War
Sanafi Al-Nasr, who was allegedly killed in an airstrike near the town of Dana, was Al-Qaeda’s senior strategist and an important power broker, the Iranian Fars news agency reports, citing jihadist sources close to the killed militant leader.
Al-Nusra released several photos showing a car hit by an air strike along with several bodies of the dead militants, although their identities were not verified. However, jihadists claimed on social media that Al-Nasr had been killed.
Other photos published by the terrorist organization show the alleged graves of Al-Nasr and two other militants who were killed in an airstrike.
The death of Sanafi Al-Nasr, whose real name was Abdul Mohsen Abdallah Ibrahim Al-Charekh, was also confirmed by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who claimed the jihadist leader was killed on Thursday.
Al-Nasr, who was born in Saudi Arabia, was a member of Al-Qaeda’s so-called “Victory Committee” that was responsible for developing and implementing the group’s strategy and policies.
The jihadists did not specify if he was killed in a Russian airstrike or in an attack carried out by the US-led coalition. Some militants claimed on social media, it was a ‘Crusader coalition’ that delivered the strike.
Russian warplanes have been hitting militants’ positions near Aleppo for several days. On Thursday, they targeted a total of 32 militant positions in several provinces including Aleppo, the Russian defense Ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov said.
On Saturday, Russian planes struck 49 jihadists’ targets in the provinces of Idlib, Hama, Latakia, Damascus, and Aleppo. “As a result of airstrikes, 11 command centers and control posts of the militants have been destroyed,” Konashenkov said.
An explosives workshop, three artillery positions, nine ammunition depots, two military equipment bases and 15 terrorist camps were also hit during the latest strikes, the ministry said.
The US-led coalition also conducted three airstrikes in Syria near Aleppo on Thursday targeting tactical units and an explosive device cluster, Reuters reports citing the coalition’s statement.
The Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters have started a major operation in the Aleppo province with Russia’s air support. They have already recaptured several villages and towns in the province
160 BITE THE DUST
[h=1]Major al Qaeda camp was unknown to U.S. for months[/h]
Washington (CNN)An al Qaeda training camp in southern Afghanistan that was the target of a major raid last week had been operating since last November -- and the U.S. didn't learn the full details about the site until July, coalition forces said in an email Wednesday.
Earlier this month, U.S. airstrikes, along with U.S. and Afghan ground troops, conducted the assault operations in an area known as Shorabak, close to the Pakistan border. Al Qaeda had set up two sites, a one-mile-square training camp and a second site of nearly 30 square miles it controlled.
The coalition conducted 63 airstrikes on the site, and a ground assault team of more than 200 Afghan and U.S. troops on the ground attacked both targets. It is estimated by the U.S. that more than 160 suspected terrorists were killed from a number of groups. U.S. officials have said they believe a number of al Qaeda and related terrorist group members have been pushed into Afghanistan due to pressure from Pakistani military operations on the other side of the border.
The October 11 raid was "one of the largest ground-assault operations we have ever conducted in Afghanistan," Pentagon spokesman Gen. Wilson Shoffner said. He said the U.S. struck a "major al Qaeda sanctuary," seizing a large number of weapons and digital media equipment, but he did not say how long al Qaeda had evaded detection there.
Coalition forces told CNN that the strike occurred after several hundred hours of surveillance, but did not say why the camp was not struck earlier.
"Bottom line is that this camp was built to be a high end training facility to prepare enemy personnel," the email said. "This camp is unique in its level of technical training. The training camp was broken down by basic and advance training areas. Training ranged from physical fitness, weapons training (small arms to advanced explosive training, indirect fire), chemistry to produce advanced explosives, and higher level sniper training," coalition forces said.
[h=1]Major al Qaeda camp was unknown to U.S. for months[/h]
Washington (CNN)An al Qaeda training camp in southern Afghanistan that was the target of a major raid last week had been operating since last November -- and the U.S. didn't learn the full details about the site until July, coalition forces said in an email Wednesday.
Earlier this month, U.S. airstrikes, along with U.S. and Afghan ground troops, conducted the assault operations in an area known as Shorabak, close to the Pakistan border. Al Qaeda had set up two sites, a one-mile-square training camp and a second site of nearly 30 square miles it controlled.
The coalition conducted 63 airstrikes on the site, and a ground assault team of more than 200 Afghan and U.S. troops on the ground attacked both targets. It is estimated by the U.S. that more than 160 suspected terrorists were killed from a number of groups. U.S. officials have said they believe a number of al Qaeda and related terrorist group members have been pushed into Afghanistan due to pressure from Pakistani military operations on the other side of the border.
The October 11 raid was "one of the largest ground-assault operations we have ever conducted in Afghanistan," Pentagon spokesman Gen. Wilson Shoffner said. He said the U.S. struck a "major al Qaeda sanctuary," seizing a large number of weapons and digital media equipment, but he did not say how long al Qaeda had evaded detection there.
Coalition forces told CNN that the strike occurred after several hundred hours of surveillance, but did not say why the camp was not struck earlier.
"Bottom line is that this camp was built to be a high end training facility to prepare enemy personnel," the email said. "This camp is unique in its level of technical training. The training camp was broken down by basic and advance training areas. Training ranged from physical fitness, weapons training (small arms to advanced explosive training, indirect fire), chemistry to produce advanced explosives, and higher level sniper training," coalition forces said.
[h=1]Al-Qaeda leader in Syria is killed after being shot in the head during Aleppo gun battle with Assad forces in a 'devastating blow' to terror group[/h]
One of al Qaeda's senior commanders in Syria has been killed in a gun battle with Syrian Arab Army forces in Aleppo.
The al-Nusra Front, the Sunni Islamic jihadist militia fighting against Syrian Government forces in the civil war, confirmed Sheikh Abu Sulaiman al-Masri's death this morning.
Images of his body, containing a bloody head wound, have been shared online with early reports suggesting he died fighting Assad forces.
.
+6
The al-Nusra Front, the Sunni Islamic jihadist militia fighting against Syrian Government forces in the civil war, confirmed Sheikh Abu Sulaiman Al Masri's death this morning
+6
Senior commander al-Nusra commander Abu Sulaiman al-Misri had previously been sentenced to death in his native Egypt after he fought for Hamas in Gaza. He fled to Syria and joined the al-Qaeda affiliated group
.
+6
Photos have since emerged online of al-Masri organising troops on the frontline in Syria
+6
The Egyptian fighter poses with his famiuly in an undated photo. al-Masri lost several fingers and a thumb during his fighting career
.
- Senior commander of al-Nusra killed fighting south of the city of Aleppo
- Images of his lifeless body, containing a bloody head wound, shared online
- Death is considered a serious blow to organisation's operations
- Abu Sulaiman al-Masri had previously fought in Gaza and had been sentenced to death in his native Egypt
One of al Qaeda's senior commanders in Syria has been killed in a gun battle with Syrian Arab Army forces in Aleppo.
The al-Nusra Front, the Sunni Islamic jihadist militia fighting against Syrian Government forces in the civil war, confirmed Sheikh Abu Sulaiman al-Masri's death this morning.
Images of his body, containing a bloody head wound, have been shared online with early reports suggesting he died fighting Assad forces.
.
+6
The al-Nusra Front, the Sunni Islamic jihadist militia fighting against Syrian Government forces in the civil war, confirmed Sheikh Abu Sulaiman Al Masri's death this morning
- SHARE PICTURE
+6
Senior commander al-Nusra commander Abu Sulaiman al-Misri had previously been sentenced to death in his native Egypt after he fought for Hamas in Gaza. He fled to Syria and joined the al-Qaeda affiliated group
.
+6
Photos have since emerged online of al-Masri organising troops on the frontline in Syria
- SHARE PICTURE
+6
The Egyptian fighter poses with his famiuly in an undated photo. al-Masri lost several fingers and a thumb during his fighting career
.
