STERLING, Va. (AP) — Whether a mourner in a black robe at a mosque or a soccer mom in a T-shirt and shorts at a community vigil, reaction to 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen’s death carried a common refrain: That could have been my daughter. More than 5,000 people attended Hassanen’s funeral Wednesday in suburban Washington, grinding … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Islamic
Virginia man accused of joining Islamic State indicted
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man accused of joining the Islamic State group has been indicted on terror charges. Mohamad Khweis of Alexandria is set to appear for an arraignment Friday morning in federal court. A grand jury earlier this week returned an indictment charging him with providing material support to the Islamic State … Continue reading
Militant attack kills 12 Egyptian soldiers in Sinai
EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Suspected Islamic militants in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula attacked an army checkpoint on Friday, killing 12 soldiers and wounding eight, according to security and medical officials. The officials said the attack took place about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of the Suez Canal, near the town of Bir el-Abd, where the wounded … Continue reading
Moroccans vote amid worries about jobs, Islamic extremism
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Millions of Moroccans headed out to vote Friday, with worries about joblessness and extremism on their minds as they chose which party will lead their next government. Adultery scandals and thwarted election-day attacks marked the unusually venomous campaign in this North African nation, which is allied with the U.S and seen … Continue reading
Bangladesh police kill 3, including suspect in Dhaka attack
NEW DELHI (AP) — Police in Bangladesh killed three suspected militants Saturday, Aug. 27, including an alleged mastermind of a major attack on a cafe last month that left 20 people dead. Police sharpshooters raided a two-story house in Narayanganj district near the capital, Dhaka, after receiving a tip that Tamim Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi-born Canadian, … Continue reading
Man faces US charges after joining, quitting Islamic State
ALEXA NDRIA, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man who authorities say joined the Islamic State group for two months before surrendering to Kurdish authorities has been flown back to the U.S. to face terrorism charges. A judge on Thursday, June 9, unsealed charges against Mohamad Khweis, 26, of Alexandria alleging he provided material support to … Continue reading
Setbacks seen for Islamic State in Syria, Iraq, Libya
BEIR UT (AP) — U.S.-backed fighters in Syria converged from three sides on an Islamic State stronghold near the Turkish border Thursday, June 9, while Iraqi special forces pushed deeper into Fallujah, one of the last bastions of the militant group in western Iraq. In Libya, IS militants were fleeing their stronghold of Sirte as … Continue reading
Iraq’s forces push deeper into Islamic State-held Fallujah
NAYMIYAH, Iraq (AP) — Iraq’s elite counterterrorism forces pushed deeper into Islamic State-held Fallujah on Wednesday, June 8, more than two weeks after the operation to retake the city from the militant group began, a senior military official said. After securing the southern edge of the city Sunday, Iraqi special forces have entered the Shuhada … Continue reading
US commander: Islamic State may be reverting to its ‘roots’
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — A series of deadly attacks by Islamic State operatives in and around Baghdad may be a sign that the militants are “reverting to their roots” as a terrorist organization, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East said Wednesday. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, said … Continue reading
UN hears major differences on global approach to drug use
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Jamaica defended its decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana. Iran said it seized 620 tons of different types of drugs last year and is helping protect the world from “the evils of addiction.” Cuba opposed the legalization of drugs or declaring them harmless. The first U.N. General Assembly special … Continue reading
AP Explains: Violence against Christians in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The suicide bombing in the city of Lahore on Easter underscores how Pakistan’s Christian minority has become an easy target for the country’s Islamic militants, although Muslims also were among the victims. There are barely 2.5 million Christians in the mostly Muslim country of 180 million, and they say they worry about … Continue reading
Pakistan PM vows to fight terror after 70 died in Lahore
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister on Monday vowed to eliminate perpetrators of terror attacks such as the massive suicide bombing that targeted Christians gathered for Easter the previous day in the eastern city of Lahore, killing 70 people. The attack underscored both the militants’ ability to stage large-scale attacks despite a months-long government … Continue reading
US trains West Africans to respond to extremist threats
THIES, Senegal (AP) — Deep in the desert a loud explosion blows the roof off a Chevy Suburban, scattering car parts amid flames and black smoke. Earlier, a Mercedes Benz was blown up, its doors flying open. The recent explosions mimicked attacks by Islamic extremists, and are part of U.S.-led training of West African forces … Continue reading
Somalia attack turns symbol of resurgence into one of grief
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Among the survivors of al-Shabab’s attack on a beachside restaurant in Somalia’s capital was Mohamed Abdiqani Kheyre. He is only 3 years old, and his mother was killed. Witnesses said the Islamic extremists entered the restaurant from the beach Thursday evening Jan. 21 , shouting “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is … Continue reading
Pakistan university attack shatters dreams, stokes fear
CHARSADDA, Pakistan (AP) — When Islamic militants stormed the university campus in this Pakistani town, chemistry professor Hamid Hussain was carrying a concealed pistol. Locking his students in his classroom he opened fire on the assailants, buying his pupils enough time to escape before he was gunned down. The survival of Hussain’s students in a … Continue reading