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ISIS

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ISIS (The Islamic State of Iraq in Syria), also know as ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) or Islamic State, is a jihadist organization based in Syria and Iraq. Its leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States.

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26 Sep, 2014

UK joining airstrikes

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British lawmakers meeting in emergency session approve a motion Friday to participate in airstrikes against ISIS targets in Iraq. The 524-43 vote comes after Prime Minister David Cameron tells Parliament that the country has a “duty to take part” in international efforts to combat the extremist group. Cameron says:

This is not a threat on the far side of the world but one which menaces European nations directly.

25 Sep, 2014

Confirms French national executed

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Hollande confirms that French national Herve Gourdel has been killed by Algeria-based ISIS-linked group Jund al-Khilafah (Soldiers of the Caliphate) in a videotaped beheading. He says at the UN headquarters in New York that the killing won’t prompt France to abandon military action against ISIS, and that it will continue to fight terrorism:

The perpetrators of this odious crime must be punished

24 Sep, 2014

Uses Justpaste.it, hashtags to spread content

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ISIS disseminates content such as beheading videos and the ‘programs’ featuring Cantlie via anonymous paste sites. Links to the first video featuring Cantlie were placed on Justpaste.it, which allows anonymous uploads. Users were redirected to gulfup.com, sendspace.com and directmirror.com where they could view the video after entering a long password string, also provided on Justpaste.it. The group also uploads to Youtube but expects its content to be quickly deleted. ISIS-affiliated Twitter users with backup accounts announce simultaneously when content is being uploaded. They have also hijacked hashtags for trending topics including the 2012 Scottish independence referendum to spread their message. Facebook’s Simon Milner says the company’s safety team in Dublin is ‘consumed’ by dealing with content emanating from the Syrian civil war. Twitter’s Sinéad McSweeney says it has a team working 24/7 to examine reports across a range of issues which is comprised of

in excess of 100 people

Found innocent

Judgement0 Comments

Henning’s wife says an ISIS court has found him innocent. Barbara:

I have been told that he has been to a Sharia court and found innocent of being a spy and declared to be no threat. I implore Islamic State to abide by the decisions of their own justice system.

23 Sep, 2014

‘Kill Americans and Europeans’

Makes Statement0 Comments

ISIS issues a decree calling on its followers to kill Westerners. It is the first official declaration of war against the West by the extremist group. Spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani ash-Shami:

If you can kill an American or European infidel – especially the spiteful and cursed French – or an Australian or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the infidel fighters … then rely upon God and kill them in any way possible. Do not consult with anyone and do not seek anyone’s advice. Whether they are civilian or military, the same ruling applies.

22 Sep, 2014

Thousands of Kurds flee Syria

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The Turkish Government says that at least 130,000 Kurdish refugees have fled Syria and moved to Turkey as they escape the Islamic State Militants. Temporary refugee camps have been put in place to cope with the growing numbers. Turkish Government:

More than 130,000 Syrian refugees. many of them Kurds, have crossed the border over the last three days.

UAE’s first female pilot active

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Maj. Mariam Al Mansouri becomes the first female pilot in UAE and is among those deployed to participate in airstrikes against ISIS militants. She is a squadron commander of the F-16 Block 60 fighter jets. Al Mansouri:

Being in the air force is a responsibility. I feel proud, especially that I am part of the first batch. And that encourages me to continue in this field.

22 Sep, 2014 12:00 am

Turkey closes borders

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Turkey closes its borders to fend off at least 130,000 Kurdish refugees. The Kurds are fleeing a Syrian town which Islamic State Rebels are poised to take. The reaction takes place as some Kurds in Turkey take to the streets to protest in support of the entry of the refugees. Demonstrator Mehmet Eminakma:

We’ve come to support our brothers in Syria under attack by ISIL.

20 Sep, 2014

Wife issues plea

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Henning’s wife pleads with ISIS to release him. Message sent via the Foreign Office:

Alan is a peaceful, selfless man who left his family and his job as a taxi driver in the UK to drive in a convoy all the way to Syria with his Muslim colleagues and friends to help those most in need. When he was taken he was driving an ambulance full of food and water to be handed out to anyone in need. His purpose for being there was no more and no less. This was an act of sheer compassion. I cannot see how it could assist any state’s cause to allow the world to see a man like Alan dying.

Alan Henning's wife urges Islamic State to release her husband

Turkish hostages free

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Dozens of Turkish hostages are free after three months in captivity. They were captured in June by ISIS militants. Hostages included Consul general Ozturk Yilmaz and his family. It is unclear how they have been freed, but Erdogan thanks Turkish intelligence officials in a statement on his website.

I thank … every single member of the National Intelligence Agency from the director to the field operatives. I congratulate them for their big success from the bottom of my heart.

18 Sep, 2014

Hostage video released

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ISIS releases a video showing Cantlie, a British photojournalist kidnapped in Syria in 2012, speaking on behalf of the group. Cantlie acknowledges that he is a captive:

Now, I know what you are thinking. ‘He is only doing this because he is a prisoner, he’s got a gun at his head

He says that this video and future productions will give more information about ISIS:

There are two sides to every story. Think you’re getting the whole picture?

He questions the motivations for the west becoming involved:

After two disastrous and hugely unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, why is it that our governments appear so keen to get involved in yet another unwinnable conflict?

A$9 million funds investigated

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Australian Federal Police investigate the Bisotel Rieh money-remittance provider after financial intelligence and compliance agency AUSTRAC suspends the company for failing to declare A$9 million (US$8.08 million) that it sent overseas between January and August. A company director, Damour Sharrouf, is understood to be Khaled Sharrouf’s sister while the other company director is Ahmed Alwash, believed to be Damour Sharrouf’s husband. The investigation concerns transfers of funds to individuals in Malaysia. Staff are said to admit that it ‘actively smuggles’ money from Turkey into Lebanon. AUSTRAC chief executive John Schmidt:

The figures don’t appear to match. It’s a fairly big difference in a short space of time. We are satisfied that the continued registration … may involve a significant financing-of-terrorism risk.

‘Not just suspicion’

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Abbott says the participants in the alleged ISIS plot to kidnap and kill Australian members of the public showed clear intent to commit ‘demonstration’ beheadings in Sydney:

The exhortations, quite direct exhortations, were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in ISIL to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here in this country. So this is not just suspicion, this is intent, and that’s why the police and security agencies decided to act in the way they have.

Top ISIS member connected to plot

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Court documents connect the man believed to be Australia’s most senior ISIS member to the alleged plot to kidnap and execute members of the public in Sydney and Brisbane. Court documents show that 22-year-old Omarjan Azari of Guildford, Sydney, the first person to be charged in connection with the plot, is alleged to have conspired with Mohammad Ali Baryalei, who has been identified in an arrest warrant as the top recruiter for ISIS of Australians fighting for the group in Iraq and Syria.

Sydney man charged with terror conspiracy

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22-year-old Omarjan Azari is accused in Sydney’s Central Local Court of conspiring to act in preparation or plan a terrorist act or acts. He is one of 15 mostly Afghan Australians arrested earlier Thursday in an alleged plot to carry out executions in Sydney and Brisbane. The court is told the charges against Azari stem from a single phone call intercepted earlier in the week. Commonwealth prosecutor Michael Allnutt:

It’s been an immediate reaction to a clear, imperative danger

He does not apply for bail, and the case is adjourned until November 13.

15 arrests in beheading plot

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Australian counterterror officials arrest 15 people alleged to be involved in a plot to carry out beheadings of random people kidnapped off the streets in Sydney and Brisbane. The raids of more than a dozen properties across 12 Sydney suburbs by around 800 federal and state police officers are Australia’s biggest ever operation.

Approves aid to opposition

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Congress votes 78-22 to approve training and arming the Syrian opposition. The new authorization to train the moderate Free Syrian Army expires Dec. 11. The bill does not decide on whether Congress will extend the training authorization or take up a broader authorization of military force against ISIS. Some senators are also pressing to add a passage that resembles a declaration of war to an annual defense policy bill pending in the Senate. House leaders oppose the addition, and the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee could begin drafting their own authorization of force as soon as next week. Obama:

We are strongest as a nation when the president and Congress work together … These terrorists thought they could frighten us or intimidate us. Americans, we do not give in to fear.

Terror plot: police sweep Sydney

Terror Incident0 Comments

After receiving intelligence of an Islamic State supporter plot, Australian police perform a sweeping raid to stop potential public executions. The operation thus far is the largest anti-terrorism in history, making use of 800 police and with the aid of intelligence officers from the Australian Security Intelligence Organization. Charges set against two suspects and 15 people are under arrest. The investigation continues even with nine detainees let go. Two suspect woman must appear before the court system. Citizens complain about the raids. Informing reporters, the Prime Minister justifies the raids. Abbot:

The exhortations, quite direct exhortations, were coming from an Australian who is apparently quite senior in ISIL to networks of support back in Australia to conduct demonstration killings here in this country. So this is not just suspicion, this is intent and that’s why the police and security agencies decided to act in the way they have.