Turkey/Terrorism: Two killed in pipeline blast

Turkey's Anatolia News Agency reported that two people were killed and one person was wounded when suspected Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerrillas blew up a pipeline near the town of İdil, in south-eastern Turkey’s Sirnak province late on Tuesday.

Reportedly, two people were killed and one was injured as the ensuing fire of a landmine detonation spread to cars passing on the road. According to officials, the explosion was carried out with a remote control device.

The pipeline carries oil from Kirkuk in northern Iraq to the port of Ceyhan on Turkey's Mediterranean coast and is operated by the state-run Botas on the Turkish side.

It is worth mentioning that the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past.

Philippines/Insurgency: Four killed in fighting among MILF rebels in Maguindanao

Philippine Military announced on Wednesday that four rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were killed ant other seven were injured in a clash between commanders of the rebel group in the barangay (district) New Liong of Datu Piang in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila late on Monday.

Senior Superintendent Marcelo Pintac, a provincial police commander, said the clashes erupted between Commander Adzmie and Commander Abunawas of the fronts 106th and 104th Base Command of the MILF.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Jao, spokesman of the Philippine Army's 6th Infantry Division, said nearly 3,500 families have been displaced by the clashes.

The spokesman said that the encounter between the two MILF groups stopped only after the military launched non-lethal smoke bombs and artillery fire.

Mauritania/Mali/Security: Nouakchott and Bamako to meet on fight against Al-Qaeda

Media reported that in a move to improve cooperation on fighting Al-Qaeda in North Africa, Mauritanian Justice Minister Abidine Ould El Kheir was traveling to Mali on Tuesday.

Officials linked the visit with the ongoing trial in Mauritania of a suspect accused of taking part in the kidnapping of two Spanish aid workers. The aid workers were captured late last year and are being held by an Al-Qaeda affiliated group in northern Mali.

Last month, Al-Qaeda's wing in North Africa, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) killed Michel Germaneau, a French hostage in response to a raid by French troops against a base in the Sahara Desert.

France, which has declared war against the terrorist group, has given support to Mauritania in its recent offensive against Al-Qaeda in North Africa, which includes increased military operations.

Iraq/insurgency: Sahwa leader shot dead in southern Hilla

Iraqi Officials Stated that a leader of an extremist group allied with the Iraqi government was gunned down on Tuesday in the southern city of Hilla.

According to officials, unknown gunmen shot dead Malik Yasin, of the Sahwa or Awakening Councils. Two other members of the group were injured in the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The Sahwa groups regularly face attacks for their role in aiding government and US forces clamp down on radical militant groups.

Azerbaijan/Security: Four jailed over massacre at oil academy

Media reported that three men have been sentenced to life and one to 11 years' imprisonment on Tuesday for their role in the massacre of 12 students at Baku's State Oil Academy in 2009.

Reportedly, the Court for Grave Crimes sentenced Nadir Aliyev, Javidan Amirov and Najaf Suleymanov to life imprisonment and Ariz Gabulov to 11 years in jail. It is worth mentioning that the four men are all Georgian citizens of ethnic Azerbaijani origin and have denied the charges of terrorism, murder and weapons smuggling.

On 30 April 2009, another Georgian citizen of Azerbaijani origin - Farda Gadirov - entered the main State Oil Academy building in central Baku and shot dead 12 people and wounded another 13 before killing himself. However, subsequent investigation showed that the four men were also involved in organizing the attack.

Afghanistan/Terrorism: Three killed in Kabul suicide attack

Afghan Security Officials stated that at least five Afghans have been killed when two suicide bombers blew themselves up at the entrance of a guesthouse run by foreigners in central Kabul on Tuesday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity a government security official said the bodies of at least three Afghans could be seen close to the site of the attack. The official said the target appeared to be an American company next to a guest-house but had no further details.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taleban spokesman, said four suicide bombers equipped with hand grenades, rockets and assault rifles had carried out the attack.

The attack came only hours after the United Nations mission in Afghanistan released a report that said civilian casualties had risen 31 per cent in the first six months of the year.

India/Insurgency: Curfew imposed in Kashmir as separatists plan protests

Media reported that curfew has been reinforced in India-administered Kashmir on Monday to thwart the protests called by the hard-line faction of the Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Reportedly, the hard-line faction of Hurriyat Conference has given a call for a week-long programme of protests and asked people to offer prayers on roads in their respective areas.

Police and paramilitary troops have been deployed to enforce curfew in the valley and restrictions of movements continued in Baramullah, Sopore, Anantnag and Pulwama regions since there were reports of stone pelting protests on Sunday.

It is worth mentioning that the curfew was imposed earlier on July 31 in ten districts of the valley, including Srinagar, following violent protests and clashes between the stone pelting locals and the security personnel in which at least 40 people reportedly lost their lives.

Canada/Sri Lanka/Security: Ottawa concerned about migrant ship

Canada's Public Safety Minister Vic Toews stated on Monday that Ottawa is concerned that MV Sun Sea, a Thai ship heading to British Columbia with migrants on board, may be carrying some members of the Sri Lanka's vanquished terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Toews said the authorities are closely monitoring the situation, but declined to elaborate on the steps the government would take.

It is worth mentioning that earlier this month the Canadian Defence Ministry said it is prepared to intercept the ship, reportedly carrying about 200 asylum seekers including women and children from Sri Lanka.

France/Italy/Organised crime: Mobster to be extradited after appeals fail

Media reported that the Aix-en-Provence appeals court in southern France announced on Tuesday that Giuseppe Falsone, an Italian mobster who was one of the country's top 30 most wanted fugitives, will be extradited to Italy.

Reportedly the decision to send him back to Italy was taken after two Supreme Court rulings on August 4 rejected his appeals to remain in France.

It is worth mentioning that 40-year-old Falsone, who was arrested in June on a Marseille street, claimed before the Aix-en-Provence court on July 1 that he was "an honest person" in France and said his name was Giuseppe Filippo Fridola. However, a DNA test gave away his identity.

According to officials, Falsone is close to Bernardo Provenzano, a top mobster arrested in 2006 after decades on the run. Two European Arrest Warrants had been issued for him.

Philippines/Security: Five family members hacked to death in Palawan

Philippine Security Officials stated on Tuesday that a retired navy commander, his wife and three family members were hacked to death in in Palawan province.

Chief Inspector Janet Nieves said the victims were found dead Monday in their house in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan province, 600 kilometres west of Manila. The victims were identified as retired Navy Commander Ernesto Paiton, his wife Carmelita, daughter Erlita, niece Sharon Celino and nephew Renato Cabatuan.

According to Nieves, all the victims were found with knife-like wounds to the back of the neck. She said a relative found the bodies late Monday afternoon and immediately alerted the neighbours.

The motive behind the killings is yet to be ascertained. No group or any individual has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Russia/Terrorism: Killed terrorists planned to blow up mosque

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov announced on Monday that the two terrorists killed in a special operation in Grozny, the capital of Russia's volatile North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, on Sunday had planned to blow up a shopping mall and the city's central mosque.

Reportedly, the terrorists, who were suspected of killing police officers, were killed on Sunday morning in a Grozny apartment in a shootout with security forces.

Kadyrov said a memory stick was found on the terrorists with a video recording of their talks, in which they discussed their plans to blow up the Grozny City shopping and entertainment mall and the central mosque of Akhmad Kadyrov.

In recent months terrorists groups has intensified attacks in Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.

Philippines/Insurgency: Rebel infighting displaces thousands

Rebel and Army Officials stated on Tuesday that thousands have fled a troubled Muslim town in southern Philippines after violence between separatists erupted days ahead of Islam's holy month of Ramadan.

According to sources, the army fired artillery rounds and rockets on Monday to separate rebel factions fighting for control over a river delta in the town of Datu Piang.

Mohagher Iqbal, the chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebuked the military for breaching a ceasefire. On the other hand, Major-General Anthony Alcantara, a senior army commander in central Mindanao region, dismissed speculation that the intention would have been to provoke fresh hostilities with the rebels and said that the army is not operating against them, but that it is only monitoring the developments and helping the displaced people.

The army said more than 5,000 people had fled their homes and farms since the violence first erupted on Saturday.

Afghanistan/Terrorism: Christian charity denies proselytizing, plans to continue work

The International Assistance Mission (IAM), an international Christian aid group, announced on Monday that it had no plans to leave Afghanistan despite the murders of 10 members of its medical aid team and repeated that the organization does not attempt to convert Muslims to Christianity.

As a reminder, the 10 team members - six Americans, two Afghans, one Briton and one German - were killed on Thursday by gunmen after finishing a two-week mission providing medical care to impoverished villagers in remote Nuristan province. Taleban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the killing, saying the medical workers were killed because they were promoting Christianity.

In a separate incident, Taleban insurgents publicly executed an Afghan woman for alleged adultery on Sunday.

Reportedly, the 48-year-old widow was given dozens of lashes before being shot dead on Sunday in the remote Qades district held by militants in north-western Badghis province.

North Korea/South Korea/Security: Pyongyang fires artillery rounds in Yellow Sea

South Korea's Defense Ministry announced that North Korea fired more than 100 artillery rounds Monday on its side of the border with South Korea in the Yellow Sea.

According to the Defense Ministry, the shells landed on the North Korean side of the Northern Limit Line, the disputed border between the two nations in the Yellow Sea.

Reportedly, the firing followed five days of South Korean naval exercises near the sea border. North Korea had threatened 'strong physical retaliations' to the manoeuvres.

Seoul began a major naval exercise last week in the Yellow Sea, the largest since 46 South Korean sailors died in March in the sinking of a South Korean warship.

A South Korean investigation determined that North Korea was responsible for the sinking of the warship, the Cheonan. But Pyongyang has vehemently denied it.

Iraq/Terrorism: Two killed, including police, in Baghdad blast

An Iraqi Interior Ministry Official stated that two people, including a traffic policeman, were killed in a roadside bomb at a police station in western Baghdad on Monday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity the official said that ten others, including seven traffic policemen, were wounded in the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

As ESISC already has reported, at least 12 people were killed and dozens wounded in car bomb attacks in the Iraqi cities of Ramadi and Falluja on Sunday.

Somalia/Terrorism: Al-Shabaab group bans three aid agencies

Somalia's main terrorist group Al-Shabaab, which has links with Al-Qaeda, announced on Monday that it had banned three Christian Aid Agencies from its territory.

The terrorist group said in a statement that World Vision, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency and Diakonia must immediately leave Somalia because the groups were actively propagating Christianity on its territory. Al-Shabaab has also warned other aid agencies against taking up the work of the banned organizations, saying they will face “appropriate disciplinary measures”.

There were no immediate comments available from officials of the aid agencies.

It is worth mentioning that Al-Shabaab, which claimed responsibility for the twin blasts in Uganda during the World Cup final, had previously banned several UN agencies and aid groups.

Germany/Security: Police shuts down Hamburg mosque linked to 9/11

Media reported that German Police have shut down the Taiba Mosque in Hamburg where the September 11 terrorists allegedly met before their suicide attacks on the US in 2001.

Frank Reschreiter, a spokesman for Hamburg's State Interior Ministry said they had closed the mosque because it was a recruiting and meeting point for terrorists who wanted to participate in the so-called jihad or holy war.

Reportedly, the Taiba Mosque was previously known as the Al-Quds Mosque and was once frequented by Mohammed Atta, the leader of the group that carried out the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on behalf of Al-Qaeda.

According to security officials, twenty police officers searched the mosque and a cultural centre connected with it, confiscating a number of items, including several computers. However, there were no reports of any arrests.

Colombia/Insurgency: FARC attack Pan-American Highway

Colombian Media reported on Monday that suspected guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) bombed the Pan-American Highway between the southern cities of Cali and Popayan on Saturday.

Local Police Commander Colonel Wilson Bravo said the guerrillas had detonated dynamite in the early morning and that later the army launched a raid in the north of the Cauca department in order to capture the assailants.

As a reminder, an attack carried out by FACR guerrillas on two electricity towers in the southern Colombian Caqueta department earlier on Thursday left approximately 15,000 inhabitants of the town of Cartagena del Chaira without power.

Indonesia/Security: Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir arrested over links to terrorist group

Indonesia's Anti-terrorism Police announced on Monday that they had arrested radical Muslim cleric, Abu Bakar Bashir, accused of providing support for terrorists linked with the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

Counter-terrorism Chief at the Security Ministry, Ansyaad Mbai, said Bashir is accused of involvement in a terrorist training camp uncovered by police in Aceh province in February.

Reportedly, the arrest was made early Monday in the District of Ciamis, West Java. Bashir's lawyer, Muhammad Ali, said elite anti-terror squad swooped in on the 72-year-old cleric early Monday morning.

Bashir is best known as the founder and spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, the Al-Qaeda-linked group responsible for the 2002 bombings on Indonesia's resort island of Bali that killed 202 people.

Bashir, however, claims the group is not linked to any terror activities, as he denied also any links with the terrorist organisation Jemaah Islamyiah.

Libya/Israel/Security: Tripoli frees Israeli photographer in Gaza aid deal

Israeli Officials stated that Rafael Hadad, an Israeli photographer arrested and imprisoned in Libya last March while photographing Jewish sites was returning home on Monday after being freed in a complicated deal brokered by Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Reportedly, Rafael Hadad was detained as a suspected spy, but the Israeli official denied any espionage link. He described the journalist as "an innocent civilian" and said that during the negotiations the Libyans had not levelled espionage allegations.

It is worth mentioning that Hadad, 34, went to Libya to photograph Jewish heritage sites on behalf of Ohr Shalom, an Israeli organisation for Libyan expatriates.