Latest news with #Daesh
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan urges global action against banned militant groups exploiting social media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has requested cooperation from social media platforms to block and remove accounts linked to militant groups, State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Friday, urging global action and the use of artificial intelligence to support these efforts. Chaudhry's statement comes amid growing concerns in Islamabad over the online presence and influence of militant networks, including the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Daesh, which are increasingly using digital platforms to recruit, fundraise and spread propaganda. Pakistan has intensified efforts to curb militancy on social media by strengthening digital surveillance, enforcing cybercrime laws and engaging with major tech platforms. The country's primary legislation in the area is the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, which explicitly criminalizes online recruitment, funding and planning by militant groups. 'I want to once again request for the social media operators and social media platforms to cooperate with us on the blockage and removal of accounts, taking AI measures to stop mirroring accounts and to share info of account holders who are operating these accounts,' the minister said while addressing a news conference. He highlighted how Pakistan was fighting a war against militancy for two decades. 'And Pakistan is a wall between terrorists and the world,' he added. 'If this wall becomes weak the fire will not stop on our borders.' Chaudhry lamented that around 40 international militant groups were operating out of Afghanistan, adding they had access to weapons and ammunition worth millions of dollars left behind by US forces following their withdrawal in 2021. He said all of these militant organizations had been sanctioned by the US, the United Kingdom and Pakistan. 'We want to block and remove the account,' Chaudhry added. 'Second is to use AI measures to stop mirror accounts and thirdly and most importantly is to share information of these account holders because they are also part of terrorist organizations and are terrorists.' The government has also urged platforms such as Facebook, X and YouTube to comply with local regulations and promptly remove flagged content promoting militancy. In May 2024, Pakistan established the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under the mandate of PECA, tasked with probing offenses such as terrorism-related cyber activities, misinformation, hacking and other forms of digital crime.
Al Bawaba
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Israel launches a new wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon
ALBAWABA- Israeli warplanes launched a new wave of air strikes on southern Lebanon, targeting several locations in a fresh escalation that further undermines the fragile ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah reached in November. Also Read Israeli strike kills 3 people in Lebanon The latest Israeli raids struck the areas of Mahmoudiya, Zaghrin, the outskirts of Sajd, Ansar, and Zarariya, with additional air strikes reported on the Reyhan Heights and the heights of the Tuffah region, according to circulating footage and local sources. These attacks mark a continuation of Israel's cross-border operations in violation of the ceasefire deal, intensifying concerns over a broader regional conflict. While Israel has not formally commented on the raids, the strikes come amid ongoing tensions and retaliatory exchanges along the Lebanon-Israel border. Meanwhile, on the domestic front, the Lebanese Army Command announced the arrest of three Lebanese citizens during a series of security operations carried out by the Intelligence Directorate. Also Read Thai airstrikes kill 12 Cambodians in escalating border clash The detainees were allegedly part of a terrorist cell affiliated with the Daesh (ISIS) organization. "Preliminary investigations revealed that the cell was planning to carry out attacks against the army under the direction of external Daesh leaders," the army statement read. It confirmed that follow-up efforts are ongoing to apprehend additional members linked to the group.
Arab News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
The US decision to leave UNESCO again puts a spotlight on what the agency does and why it matters
PARIS: With the support of international partners and the mobilization of $115 million, the UN cultural agency UNESCO recently helped rebuild the Iraqi city of Mosul after it was devastated by the Daesh group. The restoration of the historic city's iconic Al-Nouri Mosque and Al-Hadba Minaret was just one of many programs run by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which is in the spotlight because the United States is leaving it once again. The decision to pull US funding and participation from UNESCO will deal a blow to its work preserving cultural heritage around the world. President Donald Trump exited the agency during his first term, accusing it of promoting anti-Israel speech. The Biden administration had rejoined UNESCO in 2023 after citing concerns that China was filling the gap left by the US in UNESCO policymaking. Beyond the diplomatic disputes, here's a look at the work that UNESCO does: World Heritage Sites UNESCO names World Heritage sites, including landmarks like the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian pyramids, the Taj Mahal and the Statue of Liberty, and gives them special protection under its World Heritage Sites program. Its World Heritage Committee each year designates sites considered 'of outstanding value to humanity' and intervenes when sites are in danger of destruction or damage. The program provides countries with technical assistance and professional training to preserve the sites. It now also includes 'intangible' heritage such as folk songs and traditional dances, crafts and cooking in its lists. A World Heritage site designation is coveted and seen as a boost to tourism. Holocaust Education Like the rest of the UN, UNESCO was created in response to the horrors of World War II, and particularly Nazi crimes. Amid concerns that the agency's Arab members have used UNESCO to pass anti-Israel resolutions, UNESCO has worked in recent years on Holocaust awareness projects. That includes educational materials and organizing visits to former Nazi concentration camps. Empowering Girls UNESCO works to improve literacy, with a special focus on girls in countries hit by war or disasters who get little or no schooling though programs such as the Malala Fund for Girls' Right to Education. In Tanzania, for instance, over 2,500 girls benefited from the creation of safe spaces in 40 secondary schools, The agency provides teacher training and materials and encourages programs for girls to pursue careers in science. Climate Change One of the agency's goals is coordinating climate knowledge and improving international education about how global warming occurs and affects people around the world. Over 30 UNESCO programs are designed to help its members adapt to climate change and favor sustainable development. Ethics of Artificial Intelligence UNESCO adopted in 2021 what it calls 'the first and only global standard-setting instrument on the ethics of artificial intelligence.' Applying to all 194 member states, the recommendation emphasizes the protection of human rights and dignity, grounded in principles like transparency, fairness, and human oversight of AI systems. Operating without the US UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay said the US decision to leave was expected and that the agency has prepared for it. While the US had previously provided a notable share of the agency's budget, UNESCO has diversified its funding sources. 'Thanks to the efforts made by the organization since 2018, the decreasing trend in the financial contribution of the US has been offset, so that it now represents 8 percent of the organization's total budget compared with 40 percent for some United Nations entities,' Azoulay said. She added that the agency's overall budget has increased and that it has the steady support of 'a large number of member states and private contributors.'
Arab News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Eight Pakistan paramilitary troops, seven militants killed in separate engagements
QUETTA: At least eight Pakistani paramilitary troops and seven militants were killed in separate clashes in the country's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and southwestern Balochistan provinces, officials said on Monday. A high-value Daesh militant, who was under custody for the kidnapping and murder of a young boy, was killed during a police 'encounter' with his accomplices, who attempted to free him while he was being taken for the identification of a Daesh hideout in Balochistan's Mastung district, according to a CTD statement. The suspect's accomplices present inside opened heavy fire on the CTD team, resulting in a fierce exchange that resulted in the killing of the suspect, Hasham, by 'his group's fire,' while two militants were also neutralized on the spot, the CTD said. The claim could not be independently verified. 'All three killed suspects were linked to Daesh (ISKP) and were planning future acts of terror. The group was also involved in targeted killings and extortion networks, using child abductions to fund militant operations,' the CTD said in a statement. Muhammad Musawir Khan Kakar, a third-grade student, was kidnapped from a school van by unidentified armed men while on his way to school in Quetta on Nov. 15, 2024, according to his family and police. His body was found in Mastung's Dasht area on June 23. Separately, eight Pakistani paramilitary troops and four militants were killed in a clash in KP's Orakzai district that borders Afghanistan, AFP news agency reported, citing local officials. 'Armed terrorists attacked a Frontier Corps (FC) convoy with heavy weapons... The fighting continued for several hours,' the news agency quoted a senior local security official as saying. 'Eight FC personnel were killed, and 11 were injured.' Three injured soldiers are in critical condition, while the clash also killed four militants, he added. Pakistan is currently battling twin insurgencies: one led my religiously motivated groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), mainly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the other by ethno-nationalist Baloch separatist groups, Daesh and other smaller groups in Balochistan. In recent months, Islamabad has frequently accused India of backing militant groups and Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi deny the allegation. — With additional input from AFP
Arab News
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Syria interior ministry says Sweida clashes have ‘halted'
DAMASCUS: Tribal fighters have been evacuated from Syria's southern city of Sweida and violent clashes have ceased, the country's interior ministry said late Saturday. 'After intensive efforts by the Ministry of Interior to implement the ceasefire agreement, following the deployment of its forces in the northern and western regions of Sweida Governorate, the city of Sweida was evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighborhoods were halted,' interior ministry spokesman Noureddine Al-Baba said in a post on Telegram. In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on the Syrian government's security forces to prevent 'jihadists from entering and 'carrying out massacres' in the conflict-stricken south of the country. 'If authorities in Damascus want to preserve any chance of achieving a unified, inclusive and peaceful Syria... they must help end this calamity by using their security forces to prevent Daesh and any other violent terrorists from entering the area and carrying out massacres,' Rubio said in a statement posted to X. Sectarian clashes between armed Bedouin forces and the Druze in the community's Sweida heartland had drawn in Syria's Islamist-led government, Israel and other armed tribes. US-brokered negotiations have sought to avert further Israeli military intervention, with Syrian forces agreeing to withdraw from the region. 'The US has remained heavily involved over the last three days with Israel, Jordan and authorities in Damascus on the horrifying & dangerous developments in southern Syria,' Rubio said. He called for the Syrian government to 'hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks.' 'Furthermore the fighting between Druze and Bedouin groups inside the perimeter must also stop immediately,' Rubio added. Once in control of large swathes of Syria, the Daesh was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition. Violence between the Druze and Bedouin groups that began on July 13 has left an estimated 940 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor. The count included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed, according to the Observatory. The monitor also included 312 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin in the toll.
