Latest news with #jihad
Washington Post
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Africa's youngest leader, a friend of Russia, is celebrated by some and criticized by others
ABUJA, Nigeria — As news emerged this week about hundreds of Burkina Faso citizens killed separately by both jihadi groups and government forces , images of Burkina Faso's junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore were plastered over Russian state media speaking about pan-Africanism and liberating the minds of the continent's youths.
CTV News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
More than 100 killed in jihadi attack in northern Burkina Faso
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — An attack by a jihadi group in northern Burkina Faso killed more than 100 people, mostly soldiers, an aid worker and local residents said Monday. The attack on several locations, including a military base and the long besieged strategic town of Djibo, occurred early Sunday, said an aid worker actively involved in dialogues in Burkina Faso's hard-hit communities. A student from the area said her father was among those killed. Both individuals spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals. A jihadi group aligned with Al-Qaida known as Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin or JNIM, which is active in the Sahel region, claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack. Run by a military junta, the landlocked nation of 23 million has been among the worst hit by the security crisis in Africa's Sahel region, known as the global hot spot for violent extremism. About half of Burkina Faso is outside of government control as a result of the violence that contributed to two coups in 2022. Government security forces have also been accused of extrajudicial killings. The aid worker, as well as Charlie Werb, an independent open-source analyst focusing on the Sahel, recounted how Sunday's attack began simultaneously in different locations at 6 a.m local time on Sunday. 'JNIM fighters attacked eight localities simultaneously to disperse the Burkina Faso air force. The main attack occurred in Djibo, where JNIM fighters first took control of all the town's entry checkpoints before attacking the military camps, particularly the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit's camp,' said the aid worker. Werb, who studied videos posted online, said the attackers spent several hours in the areas without air support from Burkina Faso's military, unlike similar attacks on Djibo in the past, when security forces have successfully repelled the extremists. The latest attack shows JNIM's escalating power and widening reach in Burkina Faso, said Wassim Nasr, a Sahel specialist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center security think tank. 'The fact that Djibo was targeted confirms the extent of JNIM's freedom of movement within Burkina Faso.' Analysts have warned that the junta's strategy of military escalation, including the mass recruitment of civilians into poorly trained militias, has worsened inter-ethnic tensions. ____ McMakin reported from Dakar, Senegal ____ Follow AP's Africa coverage at: Baba Ahmed And Wilson Mcmakin, The Associated Press
Washington Post
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
More than 100 killed in jihadi attack in northern Burkina Faso
BAMAKO, Mali — An attack by a jihadi group in northern Burkina Faso killed more than 100 people, mostly soldiers, an aid worker and local residents said Monday. The attack on several locations, including a military base and the long besieged strategic town of Djibo, occurred early Sunday, said an aid worker actively involved in dialogues in Burkina Faso's hard-hit communities. A student from the area said her father was among those killed.
Associated Press
12-05-2025
- Associated Press
More than 100 killed in jihadi attack in northern Burkina Faso
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — An attack by a jihadi group in northern Burkina Faso killed more than 100 people, mostly soldiers, an aid worker and local residents said Monday. The attack on several locations, including a military base and the long besieged strategic town of Djibo, occurred early Sunday, said an aid worker actively involved in dialogues in Burkina Faso's hard-hit communities. A student from the area said her father was among those killed. Both individuals spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals. A jihadi group aligned with Al-Qaida known as Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin or JNIM, which is active in the Sahel region, claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack. ____ McMakin reported from Dakar, Senegal ____ Follow AP's Africa coverage at:
Sky News
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Terror group supporters posted on TikTok, YouTube and Google from site targeted in Indian airstrikes
Social media accounts expressing support for a Pakistan-based terror group linked to al Qaeda appear to have posted recent videos from a Pakistan mosque targeted by Indian airstrikes. Sky News has found videos posted on TikTok, YouTube and Google that appear to be filmed at the Markaz Taiba Mosque in Muridke. The captions and usernames contain expressions of support for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and a group called '313'. Sky News has found and geolocated multiple videos that appear to be filmed in the area where the captions include either or both '313' and LeT. Some of the videos show men in the streets with guns. Another post captioned a video of children doing martial arts training inside the targeted mosque, "we are little soldiers, and we fight the non-believers". The caption uses the hashtag #جہاد313, which translates to '313' jihad. '313' appears to refer to the 313 Brigade, a proscribed terror organisation in Pakistan. In a TikTok video posted to the Google page for Markaz Taiba Mosque in Muridke, a man can be seen walking along the street with a gun. The account that posted that video wrote in their description, "Lashkar Taiba, Mujahid Force, '313' and Markaz Taiba Muridke", self-proclaiming their support for the groups. India's retaliatory strikes on Pakistani-adminstered Kashmir and Pakistan on 7 May came after a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month. Gunmen opened fire on tourists, killing 26 people and injuring dozens in a popular holiday spot near Pahalgam, Kashmir, on 22 April. LeT were accused by India of involvement in the Pahalgam attack through their proxy the Resistance Front, which claimed responsibility for the attack. LeT, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN Security Council and the UK, focuses on fighting Indian control in Kashmir and is based in the Punjab region of Pakistan. Pakistan denies allegations of terror camps operating in the country. This region has been in the control of the Punjabi government since 2010. The Punjab government condemned the Indian strikes, and declared a state of emergency across Punjab. Muskan Sangwan, senior intelligence analyst at TRAC, a terrorism research and analysis consortium, told Sky News: "Brigade 313 is al Qaeda in Pakistan. It's an umbrella organisation for members of several groups like Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Haqqat ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Jaish-e Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jundullah." Ms Sangwan explained that '313' refers to the number of companions said to have fought with the Prophet Mohammed in the Battle of Badr. TRAC have seen a recent uptick in TikTok videos and other social media posts that refer to '313'. Many of the accounts are linked to each other. Ms Sangwan said: "They [the TikTok users] mostly use '313' as a hashtag... trying to push that hashtag to as many people it can reach on social media." Sky News sought to verify the location by comparing before and after videos from the strike location, and using the video released by the Indian army conducting the strike. One video showing damage at the strike location was posted by a user with 313 in their TikTok username. Below is satellite imagery that shows the destruction of the site. In one TikTok, the video is captioned "bring your arms and ammunition and go to war". The text on the screen of the TikTok is '313' and he is carrying a gun. The group are comfortable with having an online presence. On the Google tag for Markaz Taiba Mosque in Muridke, men pose for a group photo. Almost all the people in the photo have used '313' on TikTok. Ms Sangwan explained: "With these people from Muridke, pushing this propaganda on social media would generate a lot of significance in terms of recruitment and in terms of gaining support from local people and from other people." Sky News' Asia correspondent Cordelia Lynch has reported on the ground in Muridke. 3:29 India says it struck Markaz Taiba, a site in Muridke about 15 miles (25km) from the border, which has long been claimed to be a terrorist training site associated with LeT. MEMRI, a US-based research group that monitors terrorist threats, told Sky News: "It has been known for decades that Lashkar-e-Taiba has its headquarters in Muridke." Sky News contacted the Pakistan Ministry of Defence for comment. Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's defence minister, told Sky News: "This appears to be a random video with background music added later - consistent with how TikTok trends often function. If this is to be considered credible evidence, we could produce millions of similar clips ourselves." Mr Asif also said that any suggestion that the mosque was used as a base by terrorists was a "completely false, social media made up hoax". On 7 May, after the strikes in Pakistan, the Indian subcontinent branch of al Qaeda issued a statement condemning India's actions and encouraging its supporters to wage jihad against India. The Data and Forensics
