Latest news with #IS-affiliated
Daily Tribune
02-08-2025
- Daily Tribune
Jihadists kill 15 farmers, children in hunger-stalked northeast Nigeria: sources
Email : editor@ IS-affiliated militants killed over a dozen farmers and children in a gun attack and mine explosion in Nigeria's northeast Borno state, the epicentre of jihadist conflict, two anti-jihadist militia members said yesterday. Fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) opened fire on a group of farmers and children riding in an open van and a motorised rickshaw outside Gurnowa, a village near the garrison town of Monguno on Thursday, the militias said. Separately, a woman farmer and her three children fleeing the area died when their wooden cart hit a landmine planted by the jihadists near the attack scene before they withdrew, the militia said. 'Our men have evacuated 11 bodies to Monguno while another team has left to bring the woman and her three children,' said Babakura Kolo, an anti-jihadist militia leader assisting the military in fighting the jihadists in the region. The 11 were returning to Monguno after working on their farms when they were attacked by the jihadists, said Ibrahim Liman, another member of the militia who gave the same toll. The insurgents made off with the van and the rickshaw of the slain farmers, the two militia said. 'The woman and her three children had abandoned their farm on hearing gunshots and were heading back to Monguno when the cart they were pushing rolled over an explosive buried by the terrorists, killing them all,' Liman said. From the images of the 11 victims seen by a reporter, most were shot in the head, including two females and two children. Gurnowa, five kilometres (three miles) from the military-fortified town of Monguno, has been deserted for years following jihadist attacks, with its inhabitants forced to seek shelter in makeshift camps in Monguno.
Observer
01-08-2025
- Observer
Fighters kill 15 farmers, children in northeast Nigeria
KANO: IS-affiliated fighters killed over a dozen farmers and children in a gun attack and mine explosion in Nigeria's northeast Borno state, the epicentre of a fighter conflict, two members said. Fighters from IS West Africa Province (ISWAP) opened fire on a group of farmers and children riding in an open van and a motorised rickshaw outside Gurnowa, a village near the garrison town of Monguno on Thursday, the militias said. Separately, a woman farmer and her three children fleeing the area died when their wooden cart hit a landmine planted by the fighters near the attack scene before they withdrew, the leader said. "Our men have evacuated 11 bodies to Monguno while another team has left to bring the woman and her three children", said Babakura Kolo, a leader assisting the military in fighting in the region. The 11 were returning to Monguno after working on their farms when they were attacked by the fighters, said Ibrahim Liman, another member of the group who gave the same toll. The insurgents made off with the van and the rickshaw of the slain farmers, the two leader said. "The woman and her three children had abandoned their farm in hearing gunshots and were heading back to Monguno when the cart they were pushing rolled over an explosive buried by the terrorists, killing them all", Liman said. From the images of the 11 victims seen by a reporter, most were shot in the head, including two females and two children. Gurnowa, five kilometres from the military fortified town of Monguno, has been deserted for years following fighter attacks, with its inhabitants forced to seek shelter in makeshift camps in Monguno. Monguno, 140 km north of the regional capital Maiduguri, has been barricaded for the past four years to ward off attacks. — AFP
LeMonde
24-06-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Syria: Little-known jihadist group claims Damascus church attack
A little-known Sunni Muslim extremist group claimed responsibility on Tuesday, June 24, for a weekend suicide attack against a church in Damascus, while the Syrian government insisted they were part of the Islamic State group. Sunday's attack killed 25 people and wounded dozens, striking terror into Syria's Christian community and other minorities. A statement from Saraya Ansar al-Sunna said an operative "blew up the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa neighbourhood of Damascus," adding that it came after an unspecified "provocation." Syria's Islamist authorities, who took power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, had quickly blamed the attack on the Islamic State group and announced several arrests on Monday in a security operation against IS-affiliated cells. IS did not claim responsibility for the attack. The spokesman for the interior ministry, Noureddine al-Baba, said, during a press conference on Tuesday, that the cell behind the attack "officially follows Daesh," adding that Saraya Ansar al-Sunna was " not independent (...) as it follows Daesh." Daesh is the Arabic acronym for IS. Baba also said that the church attacker was not Syrian, without specifying his nationality, and came to Damascus with another suicide bomber from the al-Hol camp in the northeast, which hosts displaced people and relatives of IS members. Baba said it could be "just an IS front group." The Saraya Ansar al-Sunna statement, on the messaging app Telegram, said the government's version of events was "untrue, fabricated." 'Heinous crime' At the funeral of some of those killed in Damascus's Holy Cross Church, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John X called the attack an "unacceptable incident." Addressing Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the patriarch said "the heinous crime that took place at Mar Elias Church is the first massacre of its kind in Syria since 1860," referring to the mass killings of Christians in Damascus under the Ottoman Empire. "We refuse for these events to take place during the revolution and during your honourable era." Sharaa had called the patriarchate's adviser to send his condolences, an act John X called "insufficient." Assad's government had portrayed itself as a protector of minorities, who were subject to numerous attacks claimed by jihadist groups during the 14-year civil war. The new authorities have repeatedly pledged to protect minorities, despite the eruption of sectarian violence on multiple occasions in recent months. The suicide bombing followed massacres of members of the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs and clashes with Druze fighters. The bloodshed has raised concerns about the government's ability to control radical fighters who took part in Assad's overthrow.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shadowy extremist group claims Damascus church attack
A little-known Sunni Muslim extremist group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a weekend suicide attack against a church in Damascus, while the Syrian government insisted they were part of the Islamic State group. Sunday's attack killed 25 people and wounded dozens, striking terror into Syria's Christian community and other minorities. A statement from Saraya Ansar al-Sunna said an operative "blew up the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa neighbourhood of Damascus", adding that it came after an unspecified "provocation". Syria's Islamist authorities, who took power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, had quickly blamed the attack on the Islamic State group and announced several arrests on Monday in a security operation against IS-affiliated cells. IS did not claim responsibility for the attack. The Saraya Ansar al-Sunna statement, on the messaging app Telegram, said the government's version of events was "untrue, fabricated". The spokesman for the interior ministry, Nureddine al-Baba, said during a press conference on Tuesday that the cell behind the attack "officially follows Daesh", adding that Saraya Ansar al-Sunna was " not independent... as it follows Daesh". Daesh is the Arabic acronym for IS. Baba also said that the church attacker was not Syrian, without specifying his nationality, and came to Damascus with another suicide bomber from the al-Hol camp in the northeast, which hosts displaced people and relatives of IS members. Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, a Syria-based analyst and researcher, said Saraya Ansar al-Sunna could be "a pro-IS splinter originating primarily from defectors from HTS... and other factions but currently operating independently of IS". Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is the Islamist group headed by Syria's now-President Ahmed al-Sharaa that led the overthrow of Assad. Baba said it could be "just an IS front group". Citing a source within the group, Tamimi said a disillusioned former HTS functionary headed Saraya. He added that its leadership included a former member of Hurras al-Din, an Al-Qaeda affiliate that announced in January it was dissolving on the orders of the new government. - 'Heinous crime' - At the funeral of some of those killed in Damascus's Holy Cross Church, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John X called the attack an "unacceptable incident". Addressing Sharaa, the patriarch said "the heinous crime that took place at Mar Elias Church is the first massacre of its kind in Syria since 1860", referring to the mass killings of Christians in Damascus under the Ottoman Empire. "We refuse for these events to take place during the revolution and during your honourable era." Sharaa had called the patriarchate's adviser to send his condolences, an act John X called "insufficient". To ululations and tears, nine white coffins were carried into the church, amid a heavy security presence in the area. "These events are fleeting and have no value in history," teacher Raji Rizkallah, 50, told AFP. "Christianity is a deeply rooted and permanent part of this land, and extremists are heretics." Assad's government portrayed itself as a protector of minorities, who were subject to numerous attacks claimed by jihadist groups during the 14-year civil war. The new authorities have repeatedly pledged to protect minorities, despite the eruption of sectarian violence on multiple occasions in recent months. The suicide bombing followed massacres of members of the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs and clashes with Druze fighters. The bloodshed has raised concerns about the government's ability to control radical fighters who took part in Assad's overthrow. HTS was once affiliated with Al-Qaeda before breaking ties in 2016. mam-lg/nad/dcp
France 24
24-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Shadowy extremist group claims Damascus church attack
Sunday's attack killed 25 people and wounded dozens, striking terror into Syria's Christian community and other minorities. A statement from Saraya Ansar al-Sunna said an operative "blew up the Saint Elias church in the Dwelaa neighbourhood of Damascus", adding that it came after unspecified "provocation". The Islamist authorities who took power after ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December had quickly blamed the attack on the Islamic State group and announced several arrests on Monday in a security operation against IS-affiliated cells. IS did not claim responsibility for the attack. The Saraya Ansar al-Sunna statement, on messaging app Telegram, said the government's version of events was "untrue, fabricated". The group, which was formed after Assad's ouster, vowed that "what is coming will not give you respite" warning that "our soldiers... are fully prepared". At the funeral of some of those killed in Damascus's Holy Cross Church, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John X called the attack an "unacceptable incident". 'Heinous crime' Addressing interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the patriarch said "the heinous crime that took place at Mar Elias Church is the first massacre of its kind in Syria since 1860", referring to the mass killings of Christians in Damascus under the Ottoman Empire. "We refuse for these events to take place during the revolution and during your honourable era." Sharaa had called the patriarchate's adviser to send condolences, an act John X called "insufficient". To ululations and tears, nine white coffins were carried into the church, amidst a heavy security presence in the area. "These events are fleeting and have no value in history," teacher Raji Rizkallah, 50, told AFP. "Christianity is a deeply rooted and permanent part of this land, and extremists are heretics. They have no place in the present or the future." Assad's government used to portray itself as a protector of minorities, who were subject to numerous attacks claimed by jihadist groups during the 14-year civil war. In March, a dispute took place in front of the Saint Elias church, as residents expressed opposition to Islamic chants being played on loudspeakers from a car. The suicide bombing followed sectarian violence in recent months, including massacres of members of the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs and clashes with Druze fighters, with security one of the new authorities' greatest challenges. The bloodshed has raised concerns about the government's ability to control radical fighters, after Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that ousted Assad. HTS was once affiliated with Al-Qaeda before breaking ties in 2016. Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, a Syria-based analyst and researcher, said Saraya Ansar al-Sunna could be "a pro-IS splinter originating primarily from defectors from HTS... and other factions but currently operating independently of IS". He also said it could be "just an IS front group". Citing a Saraya source, Tamimi said a disillusioned former HTS functionary heads the group, whose leadership includes a former member of Hurras al-Din, Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate which announced in January it was dissolving on the orders of the new government. The Observatory said Saraya Ansar al-Sunna had previously threatened to target Alawites and had carried out an attack in Hama province earlier this year. The group is accused of involvement in the sectarian massacres in March that the Observatory said killed more than 1,700 people, mostly Alawite civilians.
