Chechnya’s Grozny sees violence after several years
Fighting erupted after many years in the Chechen capital of Grozny, with Islamist rebels opening fire on civilians and police forces, killing 10 and scores more wounded. The Russian republic of Chechnya has been relatively stable in recent years under the rule of Ramzan Kadyrov. The attack was carried out on the wee hours of Thursday morning, a few hours before President Vladimir Putin was set to address the Kremlin for his annual state of the nation address. During the address, Putin digressed from his prepared speech to accuse Western nations of having funded Chechen separatists in the 1990s. About 12 hours after gunfire broke out, Grozny’s police reported that the last of the gunmen had been killed, bringing the death toll to 20.
Iraqi, Lebanese officials disagree over identity of al-Baghdadi’s wife
Earlier this week, Lebanese officials claimed to have arrested a woman thought to have been married to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State terrorist group. However, disagreements broke out between the officials and their Iraqi counterparts on Thursday over whether the woman was ever married to al-Baghdadi or if she has relatives belonging to a rival militant outfit. Amidst the disagreements over her affiliations, however, it remained unclear if she could reveal anything about the Islamic State’s inner workings, which have remained opaque.
Xi Jinping wants to modernise Chinese army
On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for quicker development of new military equipment to build a stronger army, its state media reported. The push is part of a modernisation plan mooted by Xi, who has said that advanced weaponry needs to support “national rejuvenation”. According to officials, defence spending in 2014 is set to rise by 12.2% to $131.3 billion. While the Chinese army is the world’s largest, retired veterans have repeatedly questions about whether it was too corrupt to win a way.
US rescue mission in Yemen fails
The Pentagon on Thursday said an American mission to rescue a hostage in Yemen failed after its forces found the hostage, photojournalist Luke Somers, had been moved to another location. The mission had been undertaken last month to free about a dozen people held by the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a Yemeni offshoot of the al Qaeda. Somers was the only American in the group. Previous reports claimed that eight people had been rescued. However, Somers and a Briton were moved before the raid, according to a Yemeni official.
IS claims responsibility for blasts in Iraq that killed 33
The first major bomb attack in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk in months killed 18 people on Thursday, while twin suicide blasts in Baghdad killed 15. Both attacks are thought to have been perpetrated by the Islamic State militant forces, who have been wrestling with the Kurdish peshmerga forces for control of Kirkuk, an oil hub 240-km north of Baghdad. They haven’t succeeded. The last major such attack in the city was in August, when three blasts three blasts killed 38. IS forces have been increasing the ante in Iraq since June, as they have come out of defensive positions to attempt to push back the peshmerga.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
Fighting erupted after many years in the Chechen capital of Grozny, with Islamist rebels opening fire on civilians and police forces, killing 10 and scores more wounded. The Russian republic of Chechnya has been relatively stable in recent years under the rule of Ramzan Kadyrov. The attack was carried out on the wee hours of Thursday morning, a few hours before President Vladimir Putin was set to address the Kremlin for his annual state of the nation address. During the address, Putin digressed from his prepared speech to accuse Western nations of having funded Chechen separatists in the 1990s. About 12 hours after gunfire broke out, Grozny’s police reported that the last of the gunmen had been killed, bringing the death toll to 20.
Iraqi, Lebanese officials disagree over identity of al-Baghdadi’s wife
Earlier this week, Lebanese officials claimed to have arrested a woman thought to have been married to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State terrorist group. However, disagreements broke out between the officials and their Iraqi counterparts on Thursday over whether the woman was ever married to al-Baghdadi or if she has relatives belonging to a rival militant outfit. Amidst the disagreements over her affiliations, however, it remained unclear if she could reveal anything about the Islamic State’s inner workings, which have remained opaque.
Xi Jinping wants to modernise Chinese army
On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for quicker development of new military equipment to build a stronger army, its state media reported. The push is part of a modernisation plan mooted by Xi, who has said that advanced weaponry needs to support “national rejuvenation”. According to officials, defence spending in 2014 is set to rise by 12.2% to $131.3 billion. While the Chinese army is the world’s largest, retired veterans have repeatedly questions about whether it was too corrupt to win a way.
US rescue mission in Yemen fails
The Pentagon on Thursday said an American mission to rescue a hostage in Yemen failed after its forces found the hostage, photojournalist Luke Somers, had been moved to another location. The mission had been undertaken last month to free about a dozen people held by the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a Yemeni offshoot of the al Qaeda. Somers was the only American in the group. Previous reports claimed that eight people had been rescued. However, Somers and a Briton were moved before the raid, according to a Yemeni official.
IS claims responsibility for blasts in Iraq that killed 33
The first major bomb attack in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk in months killed 18 people on Thursday, while twin suicide blasts in Baghdad killed 15. Both attacks are thought to have been perpetrated by the Islamic State militant forces, who have been wrestling with the Kurdish peshmerga forces for control of Kirkuk, an oil hub 240-km north of Baghdad. They haven’t succeeded. The last major such attack in the city was in August, when three blasts three blasts killed 38. IS forces have been increasing the ante in Iraq since June, as they have come out of defensive positions to attempt to push back the peshmerga.