Headline News 26/10/2016

Headlines:

• The Battle for Mosul Erupts
• Attack in Quetta
• China IntensifiesDrive against Muslims

Details:

The Battle for Mosul Erupts

This week has seen the start of an offensive by the Iraqi army on the ISIS city of Mosul. This is after it had been under ISIS control for just under 2 years after they allegedly managed to defeat a force almost 10 times its size. While the entire opposition to ISIS is allegedly led by the Iraqi army, the reality on the ground is that their strength comes from the other forces. For example, much of the willpower, confidence and daring nature of the coalition forces on the ground comes from the Shi’ah militias. The Kurdish Peshmarga are also leading the front line with the US led coalition forces providing aerial and logistical support. All this is to restore confidence in the Iraqi army which alongside the US placed political apparatus, has failed the Iraqi people. Only time will tell as to how long this conflict will drag on and who will be victorious on the other side.

Attack in Quetta

At least 60 people have been killed in an attack on a police training centre in the city of Quetta, Pakistani officials say. Mir Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti, Home Minister of Balochistan province, said early on Tuesday that five to six armed men attacked a dormitory inside the training facility while cadets rested and slept. The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) claimed responsibility for the attack. The group, which has been outlawed by the government, has been involved in past attacks on security forces. This attack follows a clampdown in Punjab province by the army which managed to annihilate the groups leadership. The attacks by LeJ and other militia groups target Pakistan’s security forces as they view them as the problem, but in reality it is the leadership of the country that has changed the direction the army faces. Whist the army previously faced its rival India over the dispute of Kashmir it now faces its own people and has done so since it joined the so called War on Terror under Musharaaf. The security situation will not be resolved unless the direction of the country is reverted.

China Intensifies Drive against Muslims

The Chinese regime announced that on 1st November it will be implementing new education rules in the Muslim majority province of Xinjiang that will punish parents who encourage their children into religious activities. Beijing is calling people to report their neighbors, friends and relatives to the police if they, “organize, lure or force minors into attending religious activities.” The new rules state, “Any group or person has the right to stop these kinds of behaviours and report them to the public security authorities”, and that parents and guardians should not promote so-called “extremist” beliefs in children nor force them to dress in “extremist clothing”. This intensification of the campaign to distance the future generation of Muslims in East Turkestan from reflects the Chinese regime’s desperation and utter failure in suppressing the overwhelming and unstoppable resurgence of Islam in the region. Despite China’s global rise, internally it has struggled to convince much of its population of its values and the Muslims of Xinjiang have also remained a thorn for the Communist leadership.