ISIS 'may set up caliphate in South-east Asia'


T-shirts with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) themes being displayed openly at the shop in Bandar Baru Bangi in Selangor. PHOTO: THE STAR/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK

As the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) loses its grip on territories in the Middle East, the militant group is expected to look towards South-east Asia to perpetuate its claims to a caliphate.

Counter-terrorism analysts say the region's long history of militancy and rising number of extremist groups adopting ISIS ideology make it attractive to the Sunni extremist network.

Possible targets include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, where the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and Jemaah Anshar Khilafah terror networks, as well as the Abu Sayyaf, operate.

"These are existing sanctuaries that the Islamic State would love to plug in," said Mr Patrick Skinner from New York-based security consultancy The Soufan Group (TSG).

"There is no such thing as a clandestine caliphate, they need sanctuary, they need a place for these people to go to, where they can say: This is where our flag is," he added.



The former case officer with the Central Intelligence Agency was testifying on Wednesday before the US House Committee on Homeland Security about the terrorism threat in the region.

He wrote in a report released by TSG on the same day that while ISIS has yet to establish a South-east Asian wiliyah, or state, "it is likely that it will do so this year, as its grip on Syria and Iraq weakens".

ISIS, he added, is also finding Libya "a difficult place to remain (in) and expand, and it is very possible that places like southern Philippines will be its next priority".

His latest analysis comes after ISIS lost a series of territories as local militias, backed by coalition forces, managed to retake cities from the group in the new year. The last of ISIS' major battlefield victories, for instance, was when it seized Ramadi in Iraq almost a year ago.



"Long-held assumptions about South-east Asia not being fertile ground for violent extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State tend to downplay the previous several decades of terrorism in the region," he wrote. "Now, concern is building among... the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore that the Islamic State has the region in its cross hairs."

Analysts from the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) confirmed that ISIS has started a campaign to establish an Islamic caliphate across Asia.

Mr Jasminder Singh and Mr Muhammad Haziq Jani said in a report that to fulfil the vision of a caliphate, ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi affiliated militant groups in South-east Asia with his group's doctrines, "turning them into a unified force".

While terrorism - whether perpetrated by ISIS or JI - will not be eradicated any time soon, Dr Joseph Liow said in a report yesterday that the threat remains "at a low level".

"One possible factor that could prompt a change is a deliberate shift of attention of ISIS central to South-east Asia," said the RSIS dean, who also spoke before the committee in Washington. "This, however, seems unlikely for now as ISIS is preoccupied with its immediate priority of holding ground in Iraq and Syria, and expanding its fight to Libya and Europe."



Dr Liow said while governments in the region today are better prepared to deal with terrorism compared with 15 years ago, "capacity can... be further improved with cooperation among themselves, and with some help from the United States".

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/isis-may-...south-east-asia

SG: Fast-response police unit to counter terror rolls out in June



A new fast-response police unit trained to react swiftly to armed threats across Singapore will be up and running from June to beef up the counter-terrorism strategy.

The Emergency Response Teams (ERTs), which were unveiled yesterday at the annual Police Workplan Seminar and Exhibition, will be the first wave of responders in the event of a terrorist attack.

Each team comprises four or five officers, who will be the first on the scene to engage and neutralise the attackers. The ERT officers are selected from the six major land divisions, where they will also be based. Equipped with HK MP 5 sub-machine guns and trained in counter-assault skills, they will focus on containing threats quickly while minimising casualties.

In an emergency, alert police via i-Witness

The enhanced weapons are now used by the special forces and have more range and ammunition. The ERT officers will also don bullet- resistant helmets and vests.

On a day-to-day basis, the ERT officers will patrol selected public areas, such as shopping centres, as deterrence. That will allow them to be familiar with the areas and work closely with stakeholders in joint response plans.

The move is part of a comprehensive approach to addressing the threat of terrorism by enhancing the security response, said Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, who spoke at the event.

He stressed that the ERTs will "respond faster, more effectively and decisively to attacks".



The enhanced efforts will also include adding about 300 officers to the Special Operations Command (SOC) to form the Rapid Deployment Troops (RDT) as a second wave of response. Officers in the RDT, which will be ready by next July, will be able to hop onto tactical response motorcycles to navigate through traffic gridlocks.

"For all operations within Singapore, the police will take command," said Mr Shanmugam, but depending on the scale and nature of the attack, other agencies may provide support. "For example, in a large-scale attack where additional forces... are needed, the police may call upon the Singapore Armed Forces for its specialised forces such as the Special Operations Task Force to support and reinforce the ERTs and SOC."

Vigilance is also a key pillar of counter-terrorism, and police cameras will be rolled out to places like town centres and bus interchanges from the second half of the year, said Mr Shanmugam, who also outlined the community's role in alerting police to major crises.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/fast...?xtor=EREC-16-1[ST_Newsletter_AM]-20160430-[Fast-response+police+unit+to+counter+terror+rolls+out+in+June]&xts=538291

China denies Hong Kong visit request by US carrier group - Pentagon



WASHINGTON/HONGKONG: China has denied a request for a U.S. carrier strike group led by the USS John C. Stennis to visit to Hong Kong, the U.S. Defense Department said on Friday, amid heightened tensions over China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.

A Pentagon spokesman, Commander Bill Urban, said a U.S. warship, the USS Blue Ridge, was currently in Hong Kong on a port visit and the United States expected that to continue.

Urban said the request for the Hong Kong visit by the carrier and its accompanying vessels, which have been patrolling the South China Sea, was recently denied, despite a "long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong."

A U.S. Navy official, who did not want to be identified, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry's commissioner in Hong Kong conveyed Beijing's denial of visit, saying it was "not convenient" at this time.

China's Foreign Ministry, in a statement sent to Reuters on Saturday, did not directly provide a reason for the denial.

"On the visits of U.S. military ships and aircraft to Hong Kong, China has always approved them on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the principle of sovereignty and the specific situation," it said, without elaborating.

The nuclear-powered Stennis has been conducting patrols in the South China Sea, which China claims most of and where Beijing has sparked U.S. and regional concerns by building artificial islands to bolster its claims.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited the Stennis while it transited the South China Sea on April 15 to underscore U.S. concerns about the need to maintain freedom of navigation in the face of Chinese moves.

A wide range of U.S. military vessels and aircraft have long routinely stopped in Hong Kong, a reflection of the "one country, two systems" formula under which Britain handed the global financial hub back to China in 1997.



The visits occasionally have been suspended in periods of heightened tensions, such as after a mid-air collision between a U.S. EP-3 surveillance plane and a Chinese plane off China's Hainan island in 2001.

The USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier also was denied permission to enter Hong Kong over Thanksgiving in 2007 but was cleared to visit five months later. The Navy official said a visit by the USS Halsey also was denied in 2014.

The United States has stressed the importance of good relations with China's military to avoid misunderstandings and Chinese military officers are invited routinely aboard U.S. ships during port visits, and are sometimes flown out to land on U.S. carriers at sea.

While aboard the Stennis, Carter dismissed China's characterization of a more robust U.S. military presence in the region as being the cause of heightened tensions. Washington has in turn accused China of militarizing its outposts in the South China Sea by building airstrips and other facilities.

Carter made a similar stop at the USS Theodore Roosevelt in November as it transited the South China Sea near Malaysia.

The Stennis has been on a routine deployment in the Western Pacific for more than three months, the carrier strike group's commander, Rear Admiral Ronald Boxall, said earlier this month.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kim Coghill)

- Reuters

Strike on Afghan hospital last year not a war crime: US military



WASHINGTON: A U.S. military investigation has concluded that a deadly air strike in Afghanistan last year that destroyed a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders did not amount to a war crime but was caused by a number of factors, including human errors.

Forty-two people were killed and 37 were wounded during an Oct. 3 strike that destroyed a hospital run by the international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres.

"The investigation concluded that certain personnel failed to comply with the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict, however, the investigation did not conclude that these failures amounted to a war crime," General Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters on Friday.

Votel said it was not a war crime because none of the service members were aware that they were striking a hospital.

The report into the deadly air strike said that condolence payments had been made to more than 170 individuals and families and US$5.7 million (£3.9 million0 had been approved to reconstruct the MSF facility.

Votel said that US$3,000 had been paid for those injured, and US$6,000 for those killed.

Votel added that the investigation found that the incident was caused by "unintentional human errors, process errors, and equipment failures."

The report added that fatigue and "high operational tempo" were also factors.



Votel said that even though there were less U.S. forces on the ground compared to previous years, he was comfortable with the ability of the military to evaluate risk factors.

Roughly 9,800 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan, but under the current plan that will fall to 5,500 troops from 2017 for training and counter-terrorism operations.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that the U.S. military has taken disciplinary action against 16 service members over the air strike, including a general.

The report said that General John Campbell, who was then head of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, took action against 12 personnel.



"The actions included suspension and removal from command, letters of reprimand, formal counselling and extensive retraining," the report said.

Five personnel who returned to the United States were investigated by Votel.

"(General) Votel took action with respect to four of these five personnel, including four letters of reprimand and admonishment, and boards to evaluate the flight certification of three aircrew members," the report added.

MSF, known as Doctors Without Borders in English, has in the past publicly cast doubt on the idea that the strike could have been a mistake but did not immediately comment on the investigation published on Friday.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali)

- Reuters

no more uncle sam subsidy, them pakis gonna have to pay usd700mil for 8 f16s



The US will no longer subsidise the sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36169079

thats like usd87.5mil per aircraft!

Peenoy E&E training...

Sapa ikut sapa? Huhuhuhu..

macam ni saje

Red' Corvette: Russia Ready to Install Engines in Its New Stealth Warship







http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160430/103...te-engines.html

Trouble in the Southern Philippines: Problems and Prospects





http://thediplomat.com/2016/04/trouble-in-...-and-prospects/

End of the day is pinoy pride.
Ill equipped and poorly coordinated. Resulted in their demise.

Who the hell go to a conflict area in soft skin trucks. It like a sitting duck. Even outdated apc like bmp is a better choice. Though a rpg hit it dead in its tracks.

Malaysia should just shut down the border with PH.
if PH complain, just say to them the border will only open back after all malaysia hostages arrive back to Malaysia safe and alive.

Right now with the orders from the MKN and Government of Sabah all economic trade and barter trade with Indo and Philippines are suspended
the border are practically close with all foreign vessel are denied entry are asked to turn away

The issue however, it a sea border so it hard to enforced unless u have plenty of boats.

Some still can slip through.

But goverment still refuse to give permission for rmn to shoot on site unless attacked.

.

so, that means if i were a pinoy fisherman, i can just ask stupid and continue sailing even though the RMN is screaming at me with a microphone?

Syrian, Iraqi armies launch joint campaign to defeat ISIS: analysis





The Syrian and Iraq armies are no strangers to war; but, they have never coordinated with one another, despite their shared interest in defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS).

However, this changed in April of 2016 when both the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Iraqi Armed Forces launched a simultaneous offensive to wedge ISIS in the vast desert landscape that links both their countries.

Unbeknownst to many, the Syrian and Iraqi forces are advancing towards one another on the Damascus-Baghdad International Highway.

Military Operations Begin

Two weeks ago, the Iraqi Armed Forces recently liberated the strategic town of Al-Hit in order to begin their large-scale push to the ISIS strongholds of Al-Baghdadi and Al-Haditha in the Al-‘Anbar Governorate.

Coincidentally, the Syrian Arab Army liberated the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur) at the end March, but they would not begin their Palmyra-Deir Ezzor offensive until mid-April.

Now, the Syrian Arab Army is advancing along the Damascus-Baghdad Highway, towards the T-3 Pumping Station, which is only 215 km west of the Al-Qa’im border-crossing into Iraq.

On the other-side of the border, the Iraqi Army and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are situated approximately 175 km east of Al-Qa’im.

Present Battle

The Iraqi Army has recently advanced to the outskirts of Al-Baghdadi; and if they capture this strategic desert-city, they will be in position to cutoff ISIS from their imperative supply route from Salaheddine (Iraq) to Deir Ezzor.

Haditha

As the map illustrates above, the city of Al-Baghdadi borders Al-Haditha to the east; it has two roads: one that goes to Baghdad and the other Baiji.

The battle for Al-Haditha will be an incredibly important one because it will leave only 100 km of desert between the Iraqi Army and the city of Al-Qa’im on the Syrian border.

Palmyra

The Syrian Army will have a much more boring trip to Al-Qa’im, as they have no sign of civilization for 200 km; but, they do have the Free Syrian Army (FSA) at the Tanf border-crossing to the south.

The FSA will likely not threaten the Syrian Armed Forces because the makeshift roads only lead to the border-city of AbuKamal; so, if they should meet, it will not be until the Syrian Arab Army reaches the Deir Ezzor Governorate.

Coordination?

Are the Iraqi and Syrian armies coordinating with one another?

According to a senior officer from the Syrian Armed Forces, the two armies are working through an intermediary – primarily Iran – to make this push.

Iran is an important ally to both the Iraq and Syrian governments; moreover, they are overlooking the transfer of thousands of Iraqi paramilitary forces to Syria.

More importantly, the arrival of Hashd Al-Sha’abi (Iraqi’s strongest paramilitary unit) to Deir Ezzor City, further implies that something big is coming.

What is Hashd Al-Sha’abi doing in Deir Ezzor?

Hashd Al-Sha’abi is working side-by-side with the Syrian Special Forces to retake the city of Mohassan in southern Deir Ezzor.

End Goal

The end goal is to eliminate ISIS’ presence in eastern Syria; however, this cannot be done without coordination between the Iraqi and Syrian armies.

If this operation is successful, then ISIS will be contained in northern Syria and their non-threatening pockets in Rif Dimashq, Dara’a, and Al-Sweida governorates.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian...eliminate-isis/

Can a Titanium Captain America Shield Stand Up to Shots From a .45?



There is all kinds of iconic superhero weaponry, but there's really only one iconic shield. In fiction, Captain America's trademark disc of patriotism is made out of the fictional and impossibly strong metal "vibranium" mined in the fictional country of Wakanda. Here in real life, we have to settle for alternatives. But how does titanium fare when it's put in vibranium's place?

Jerry Miculek took it upon himself to find out by crafting a titanium shield that is exactly to spec, aside from the metal its made out of. It's the right size and weighs eight pounds, just like the shield in the comics. And while that's sufficient—overkill, really—for some good cosplay, how does it hold up to bullets from a 1911 Colt .45? Well enough!

The shield doesn't exactly shrug off the projectiles, but it doesn't let them through either. Yes, it would look like a wreck after a firefight, but it would be in one piece. The experiment answers the question of whether a shield like this could stop bullets, sure, but it raises a few others as well. What would that do to your arm? How would it hold up against more/other guns? But most importantly, where would a real-life Cap take his shield for a touch-up between fights? Staying alive is paramount, but keeping your shield looking nice is almost as important.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a2...ld-firing-test/

the low pay alone would make most girls nowadays run away with full speed

Technically, yes. Until u reach pinoy border, rmn will stop chasing you.

Unless u start shooting at them. Then rmn would be more than happy to shoot you with the oto 76mm to pieces. Even the 57mm pack a punch for a small boat.

true true

only the bravest of the ladies will wanna marry a soldier


that..or because the soldier have big kukujiao

fishermen?
try fierce ugly looking pirate with conceal weapons, police rhib suspected them and they turned away.
Police chase and positivi that their are pirate and them they run for the border

soon after they at the border, they hold up their rifle shows to the police and run in circle while gesturing a "fuck you PDRM" I am now in pinoy border and you can do nothing

This post has been edited by atreyuangel: Apr 30 2016, 10:23 PM