SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says terrorists will soon meet defeat in Syria.

Fars News Agency reported on Friday: “…The people of the world will soon witness the defeat of foreign intruders and terrorists in this important country of the axis of resistance against the Zionist regime of Israel.”

He voiced regret at hasty foreign interventions which have led to further violence in Syria, saying to foreign intruders, “The wrong and inefficient military and security course of action has not borne fruit and will definitely not bear fruit.”

He called foreign intruders, the main parties responsible for bloodshed and insecurity in Syria.

The official noted with the imminent defeat of terrorist groups, violence will stop and real political course of action will find place at the center of developments and the people of Syria will experience calm again.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government has said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.

Several international human rights organizations have accused foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.-www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: Irib

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) In addition to Wilayah Tashri’i (legislative authority of making things haram or halal), Allah (swt) has given the Prophet (pbuh) and imams (as) Wilayah Takwini (the authority and power of making changes in our material world eg. splitting the moon). They have the ability to make any changes in our physical world, and this authority or power isn’t limited to their lifetime, but they also possess it after their deaths, because they are very sacred beings, yet they don’t make use of this power at all times and places, on the contrary, they use it whenever it is to the advantage of religion and the guidance of the people and not in contrast with Allah’s (swt) unchangeable precedents and courses of action.

On one hand, respecting the imams is the way of guidance, while disrespecting them and their holy shrines is transgression and going astray. On the other hand, one of Allah’s (swt) traditions and courses of action throughout history has been to leave people to their own will and leave them free to their own decisions, right or wrong. Allah (swt) doesn’t always make use of His never-ending power although He can, and the same goes for the Prophet (pbuh) and the imams (as) for the same reasons. Throughout history, there have been assaults on the Ka’bah, ending up in its partial destruction, yet Allah (swt) only prevented such a raid in one case, and that being the raid of Abrahah (in which its story has been pointed to in the surah of Fil).

Detailed Answer

In addition to Wilayah Tashri’i (the authority to legislate Islamic laws), Allah (swt) has granted the Prophet (pbuh) and the imams (as) Wilayah Takwini (which means that they have the power and authority to make any changes they desire in our material world). Imam Baqir (as) has said: “The Great Name is made up of seventy-three letters, Asef ibn Barkhia possessed one of these letters, and this gave him the power to be able to summon the throne of Bil-Qeys (the ruler and queen of the land of Saba’; this story has been pointed to in the surah of Nahl:38-40) in an instant. We the imams possess seventy-two of these words.”[1] This noble hadith shows the degree of the power and might of our imams. There is no difference between the life and death of these sacred beings (meaning that they are capable of doing the same things before and after their deaths and their martyrdoms in no way causes them to lose any of their powers). Despite this fact, the imams would live normal lives using their own knowledge and power instead of depending on their extraordinary knowledge and powers. It was only in exceptional conditions and situations and with the permission of Allah (swt) that they would do miracles. These specific cases were cases in which the guidance of the people depended on a miracle taking place.

Just like how Allah (swt), who is the most powerful of all and of never-ending might, doesn’t always make use of His power. Throughout history, there have been various attacks on the Ka’bah by tyrant groups, ending in its partial destruction, yet Allah (swt) has refused to prevent any of them from taking place. The only exception is the raid of Abrahah, in which had made a firm decision to completely destroy the Ka’bah. Allah (swt) miraculously abolished Abrahah so that all would know that Allah (swt) is the Almighty and that if He wishes, He can punish and abolish all of the disbelievers and sinners, yet it is His never-ending grace and kindness that prevents Him from doing so, so that those who are going astray as a result of not knowing the truth and their ignorance have a final chance, losing all excuses that they might claim on the Day of Judgement. This is also the basis of why the prophets and imams (as) go by the normal conditions of life--in order for guidance to be possible for all individuals. Also, there are some cases in which the imams have indeed protected themselves, their followers and shrines using their given powers, and these cases have been recorded in history, but for the same reasons mentioned above, these cases are special cases and aren’t very common.

Respecting the shrines of the imams is the way of prosperity and guidance, and disrespecting them is a way of going astray and loss. One of the traditions and courses of action of Allah (swt) throughout time has been to leave people to their own choice and decisions. Therefore, there is a great contradiction between the imams using their extraordinary powers and knowledge when facing their enemies (which in fact are Allah’s enemies as well) and destroying them in the shortest time possible, and the continuous and never-changing course of action that Allah (swt) has regarding His enemies. If they do so, the goal and purpose of creation which is for man to perfect through passing different tests will not be accomplished.

Unfortunately today, many Muslims are seen who attack other poor and defenseless Muslims. In reality, these individuals have been deceived by the sinister powers in the world, and are making these mistakes in the name of Islam! These groups’ actions remind us of the Khawarij of the battle ofNahrawan, who in the name of obtaining thawab and rewards from Allah (swt), struck Imam Ali (as) on one of the holy nights of the holy month of Ramadhan, martyring him in the masjid of Kufa. They also remind us of the army of Yazid who fought with Imam Husein (as) for Allah’s sake, because they falsely claimed that his Excellency had turned from his grandfather’s religion, just like how the Khawarij considered Imam Ali (as) a kafir. Nevertheless, these kind imams never made use of their powers to destroy their evil enemies.

At closing, this point must be made that although the imams didn’t make use of their powers in destroying their enemies, yet they taught their followers the natural way of confronting and destroying them. In other words, if they had made use of their extraordinary powers, they could no longer be role models for us because we don’t possess the same powers they do. As a result, we would no longer know what our responsibilities were if we were to be in situations similar to the one that Imam Husein (as) was in (while Imam Husein (as) showed us what to do in situations similar to his). This is why they hardly make use of their true abilities anywhere.

[1] Muhammad ibn Ya’qub Kuleini, Usulul-Kafi, vol. 1, pg. 230, hadith 1.

www.shafaqna.com/English

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) –NATO alliance member Albania has offered asylum to over 200 members of the anti-Iranian terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO).

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said in a statement on Saturday that the government is ready to accommodate in Tirana 210 members of the MKO group “for humanitarian reasons.” 
He added that the Balkan country would take in the MKO members, who currently live at Camp Liberty near Baghdad Airport, upon a request from the United States and the United Nations. 
The MKO has carried out numerous acts of violence against Iranian civilians and government officials. 
Out of the 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist attacks since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, some 12,000 of them have fallen victim to the acts of terror carried out by the MKO. 
The MKO fled to Iraq in 1986, where it received the support of Iraq's executed dictator Saddam Hussein, and set up its camp near the Iranian border. 

Members of the MKO terrorist group have been transferred from Camp New Iraq, formerly known as Camp Ashraf, which is situated about 120 kilometers (74 miles) west of the border with Iran, to Camp Liberty near Baghdad Airport. 
On September 28, 2012, the terrorist group was taken off the US State Department’s terrorism blacklist.-www.shafaqna.com/English

Source:IRIB

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) –A Shia Muslim was shot martyred by Saudi-backed armed militants of Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba in Pakistan’s commercial hub Karachi on Tuesday.

Syed Ijaz Hussain Jaffari was gunned down by the terrorists near at Nazimabad Block 3 Karachi when he was going to his office. Martyr Ijaz Hussain Jaffari was the member of Muttahida Qaumi Movement. His body was shifted to the Shah-e-Karbala Mosque Rizvia Society Nazimabad.
Its pertaining to mention here that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Wahhabi leaders Wasim Aftab, Hammad Siddiqui, and Sheikh Mohammad Afazl met the killers of Shia Muslims Aurangzeb Farooqi on the directives of Altaf Hussain and assured Farooqi to eliminate the Shia active members from MQM.
According to the Pakistan daily Deobandi Newspaper Ummat that Farooqi leader of banned Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi gave the list of Shia members of MQM to the Wahhabi leaders of MQM. The recent killing of an active Shia member of MQM raised more questions on MQM leadership regarding Shia genocide in Karachi.-www.shfaqna.com/English

Source:abna

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) –A Shiite named Nawazish Ali was martyred when terrorists of Sipah-e-Sahaba opened fire on him in Pakistan’s city, Peshawar.

The Shiite, Nawazish Ali was targeted in Peshawar’s Badshah Bazar when he was on his way home after closing his shop for the day.
Shiites are being targeted on daily basis by Saudi-backed terrorists without consequences. The Security Agencies seem helpless. 
Pak Army Captain Syed Abbas, martyred in bomb blast
A roadside bomb attack Monday in Kurram Agency martyred three and wounded two soldiers of Pakistan Army on Monday.
According to the Shia Ulema Council official tweet, a captain Syed Abbas, son in law of Shia Ulema Council President Allama Sajid Ali Naqvi brother was also martyred along with two other soldiers when their vehicle hit an improvised bomb in Masuzai area of Kurram tribal district.
Another security official in Peshawar, confirmed the attack saying the troops had been patrolling around 30 kilometres (18 miles) east of Parachinar, a major town in Kurram district.
Pakistani troops have been locked in deadly battles for years with homegrown insurgents in the northwestern tribal belt, where Taliban and al Qaeda-linked militants also plot attacks on Afghan and Western targets.
Kurram also suffers from sectarian violence between majority Shiite Muslims and minority Wahhabi-Salfi’s of Kurram Agency from last three decades.
Karachi: 3 bodies recovered from Abbas Town wreckage
3 more bodies have been recovered from the wreckage caused by twin blasts in Karachi’s Shiite residential area Abbas Town. Over 50 have already lost their lives to this act of terrorism.
The bodies have been identified as: 1) 50 year-old Sitwat Abbas 2) 24 year-old Iftikhar Hussain 
3) 16 year-old Hasan Ali.-www.shfaqna.com/English

Source:abna

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) –Iraq says the deadly ambush on Syrian soldiers in western Iraq, near the border with Syria, was carried out by a Syria-based terrorist group.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the ambush was conducted "by a terrorist group that infiltrated into Iraqi territory coming from Syria."
The Iraqi government’s reaction came after an unknown number of gunmen ambushed Syrian soldiers with bombs, gunfire, and rocket-propelled grenades in an assault that killed 48 Syrian soldiers and nine Iraqi border guards.
The ministry called the incident an attack on Iraq’s sovereignty and an act of violation of human rights.
Iraqi officials already said Baghdad would not allow the Syrian crisis to spill over into their country.    "This confirms our fears of the attempt of some to move the conflict to Iraq, but we will face these attempts by all sides with all of our power," Ali Mussawi, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's spokesman, said of the ambush. 
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The Syrian government has said that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and that a very large number of the militants operating in the country are foreign nationals.
Several international human rights organizations have accused foreign-sponsored militants of committing war crimes.
In an interview recently broadcast on German television, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that the government did not start the conflict and the militant groups were the ones killing Syrian citizens and destroying the country’s infrastructure.-www.shfaqna.com/English

Source:Islam Times

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) –Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad railed against the “hypocrisy” of Western nations in their approach to the Syrian crisis and called on Gulf Arab states to “stop financing terrorists” fighting to overthrow his government, in remarks published Sunday.

In an interview with the UK-based Sunday Times, Assad reiterated his willingness to engage in dialogue with certain opposition groups, but vowed to continue fighting armed rebels as the 23-month-long conflict shows no signs of abetting.

“We have opposition that are political entities, and we have armed terrorists,” he said, according to a full transcript of the interview published on the website of Syria’s state news agency.

“We can engage in dialogue with the opposition but we cannot engage in dialogue with terrorists,” he added.

When asked about Britain’s role in the crisis, Assad said London had historically been “unconstructive” in the region with a “tradition of bullying and hegemony.”

He said: “How can we expect to ask Britain to play a role while it is determined to militarize the problem? ... We do not expect from an arsonist to be a firefighter.”

In the interview conducted last week, Assad criticized the United States for blocking a UN resolution condemning a massive explosion in Damascus on February 21 near the ruling party’s headquarters that killed dozens of civilians.

To block the resolution was “beyond hypocrisy,” he said.

“Beyond hypocrisy [is] when you preach about human rights and you go into Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and kill hundreds of thousands in illegal wars,” Assad continued. “Beyond hypocrisy is when you talk about democracy and your closest allies are the worst autocratic regimes in the world that belong to the medieval centuries.”

Regarding Israel’s air strike on a Syrian convoy in January, Assad said Syria will respond “in its own way,” without explaining in what form, or when the retaliation would take place.

When asked about US Secretary of State John Kerry’s trip to the region, Assad said he could help Syria by urging the leaders of Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to quit interfering in the crisis.

Assad said: “[Kerry] can do only one thing [to help Syria]. He can go to Turkey and sit with (Prime Minister Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and tell to him stop smuggling terrorists into Syria, stop sending armaments, stop providing logistical support to those terrorists. He can go to Saudi Arabia and Qatar and tell them stop financing the terrorists in Syria.”

Assad also denied speculation that soldiers from Lebanon’s Hezbollah were fighting alongside Syrian troops, saying that Syria is “in no need of foreign fighters to defend our country.”.-www.shfaqna.com/English

Source:al akhbar

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – KARACHI - Pakistan's paramilitary forces on Friday launched a pre-dawn targeted operation in Quetta against militants from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), the banned Sunni outfit that claimed responsibility for the February 16 terror attack on the Hazara Shi'ite community in the city.

Two LeJ militants were killed and four others were arrested following an exchange of fire in the Nawan Killy area of the capital of southwestern Balochistan province. Four personnel of the

Frontier Corps were also injured in the shootout. A heavy cache of arms and explosives was recovered in the raid.

The minority Hazara community on Wednesday ended their four-day-protest and buried their dead after Pakistani authorities assured Shi'ite leaders that paramilitary forces would continue operations against Islamist extremists in the outskirts of Quetta after bomb blast killed 89 people and injured over 100 at the weekend in the Hazara Town area of the city. The country's apex court on Thursday stressed the need for a cleanup operation against Islamist extremists in Quetta ahead of general elections in the spring. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said acts of terror would continue if those involved in the bombing were not arrested.

The LeJ reportedly issued a fresh warning to continue its genocidal operations against Hazaras, who had demanded Quetta be handed over to the control of the Pakistan army to protect their lives.

LeJ spokesman reportedly made phone calls to local journalists on the night of February 16 to claim responsibility for the attack and read out a written statement on phone. LeJ statement, which was published in The News, said,

"The Mujahideen of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi will continue to kill Shias regardless of the imposition of the Governor's rule or the deployment of the Army. We will protect the honor of Islamic Caliphs by sacrificing each and every one of us. The February 16 Fidayeen {suicide bombers} attack by a vehicle bomber was the second one in the Shia dominated area since the beginning of 2013. Let me inform the Shia Hazaras that we have 20 more such vehicles which are packed with lethal explosives and ready to hit the enemy. We are only waiting for next orders from our leadership to hit our targets in Alamdar Road, Mehrabad and Hazara Town. We are neither afraid of the Governor's Rule nor the Pakistan Army and we will continue to kill Shias Hazaras in their homes".

It further said,

"The vehicle bomb at Alamdar Road [in Quetta] was blown up by our colleague Umar Farooq. The government should be under no illusion now that the imposition of the Governor's Rule in Balochistan has failed to dissuade us from targeting our enemy - the Shia Hazaras. We want to make it clear to the Shia Hazaras that they should not consider themselves safe and secure till the establishment of the Islamic Caliphate in Pakistan. Many of the Hazara enemies had fled but there were those who decided to stay back as they loved their jobs and properties. God willing, the Lashkar will not allow any of these Hazaras to leave Balochistan alive."

In a meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Army Chief Ashraq Parvez Kiani decided to continue targeted operation against LeJ militants in Quetta until its logical end.

During a targeted operation launched by the Frontier Corps on Monday night in Quetta, which led to a shootout, four LeJ militants were killed and seven others, including the suspected mastermind of Saturday's attack, were arrested.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Wednesday told the Senate that the explosives used in the Quetta massacre had been transported from Lahore. Malik informed the House that LeJ's headquarters were in Punjab and it had a branch in Karachi. Dismissing that Quetta incident was a result of an intelligence failure, he said there was strong evidence indicating a nexus between al-Qaeda, the Balochistan Liberation Army and the LeJ. Malik has already declared Hazara areas in Quetta city as 'red zones' to ensure security.

The Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency submitted its report in the Supreme Court during Wednesday's hearing of the suo motu notice taken in the aftermath of the Saturday's bombing in Quetta. The report said the intelligence agencies had on January 27 provided intimation regarding an imminent terrorist attack on Hazara community. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked that if there was prior information about the attack, then it was the duty of the police and Frontier Constabulary to prevent it.

Critics say that the ISI report has laid the entire burden on the civilian administration that had failed to maintain law and order and protect Hazara community in Balochistan. They say that officers in a terror-hit country cannot be allowed to get away with shifting the blame and that greater coordination better agencies is vital.

Dawn newspaper in its recent editorial said,

"The attacks on Hazaras take place in certain areas and have demonstrated specific patterns. So why the continuing intelligence failure? There are the straightforward explanations: that even if security agencies know which groups are responsible, it is hard to track them as they move around to avoid capture. That it isn't possible to completely guard all civilian areas against attacks at all times. And that intelligence-sharing between agencies isn't happening. The military intelligence agencies are better equipped and informed than civilian and police agencies, but poor coordination means that information isn't used effectively."-www.shfaqna.com/English-www.shfaqna.com/English

By Syed Fazl-e-Haider

Source: Shia Online

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – The final hostages to die in the terrorist attack on the BP joint-operated gas plant in Algeria were strapped to machinery as a huge bomb was detonated, managers at the plant said Thursday.

Western media visiting the remote plant at In Amenas for the first time heard detailed accounts of the terrifying end met by a group of eight to 10 expatriate workers.

Lufti Benadouda, the site’s Algerian general manager, said there was a major explosion on the night of Thursday, Jan. 17, at the central production facility, where the hostage takers had gathered for a final stand.

Western hostages had been tied to parts of the gas construction complex, some at ground level, some a bit higher up, while the terrorists built a bomb in one of their vehicles. Many of their captors had been wearing suicide vests.

There was one big explosion and we saw the fire burning all night

“There was one big explosion and we saw the fire burning all night,” said Mr. Benadouda.

“We found the hostages had been tied to the structure and put close to each other …

“The terrorists wanted a big explosion. They wanted to destroy the plant and make a big impression. They didn’t destroy the plant.”

“The next day we arrived at the plant,” he went on. “It was my job to identify the bodies of my colleagues, but I could not, except one, an American.”

Among the dead were a Norwegian, and, he thinks, a Briton. He added he saw the remains of three terrorists that suggested they had detonated suicide vests. Salim, who did not want to give his surname, recalled helping Gary Roberts, a Briton, to hide in the false ceiling of the cafeteria with a few other foreigners as they heard the first shots.

With the Algerian army, he returned the next day to retrieve Mr. Roberts, whom he said lives in Thailand.

“We have spoken, he is doing OK,” Salim said.

Thursday, evidence of the carnage remained on view, with parts of the plant’s infrastructure showing signs of considerable blast damage.

The attackers, who called themselves the Signatories in Blood Battalion, appeared out of the desert at dawn on Wednesday Jan. 16, and stormed through the gates of the accommodation compound. They quickly identified Mr. Benadouda as a senior figure and used him to relay messages to Algerian forces.

Having missed the initial attack, the army quickly encircled the sprawling 15-hectare facility, which is enclosed by a 3.6-metre barbed-wire fence and surrounded by sand and scrub.

At first, Mr. Benadouda said, the terrorists’ mood was “quite calm,” but they soon demanded the plant be restarted. It had been closed after a security guard sounded the alarm. Moments later he was shot in the head.

“After some time they realized they were not getting out alive, and they wanted to blow up the plant,” he said. “They asked me to start it again, but I said it was too difficult.”

His defiance may have saved the plant from much greater destruction.

Expatriates have yet to return, but 120 Algerians are preparing for the day when the plant, run by BP with Norway’s Statoil and Algeria’s Sonatrach, can resume producing gas with a daily average output worth US$14-million.

The attack that killed 38 foreign workers, including six Britons, has stunned Algeria, which thought it had contained the internal threat posed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Instead, it finds itself on a new front line of the war on terrorism that spreads west to Mali, where the French intervened to quell an Islamist advance, south to Niger and east to Libya, the source of the weapons for the attack and from where it was launched.-www.shfaqna.com/English

Source: Nationalpost

"The LeJ operates under one front or the other, and its activists go around openly shouting, 'infidel, infidel, Shia infidel' and 'death to Shias' in the streets of Quetta and outside our mosques," said Seyyed Dawood Agha, a religious leader from the Baluchistan Shia Conference. "We have become a community of grave diggers. We are so used to death now that we always have shrouds ready," he added.

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Moulana Amin Shaheedi, the leader of national council of Shia organisations in Pakistan criticised the army chief Major General Ashfaq Kayani over recent killings of innocent Shia people in the country. "I ask the army chief; “What have you done with these extra three years you got [in office]. What did you give us except more death," Moulana said on Friday after the previous day bombings killed 114 people.

Most of Thursday's deaths were caused by twin attacks aimed at Shia community in the city of Quetta near the Afghan border. The Shia community leaders demanded the military to take control of Quetta to protect people from terrorists. Moulana Shaheedi said the bodies were still lying on a road. "They will not be buried until the army comes into Quetta."

For years Pakistani Shia Muslims have been the victims of terrorists and some communities are living in a state of siege, a human rights group said on Friday. "Last year was the bloodiest year for Pakistani Shias in living memory. More than 400 were killed and if yesterday's attack is any indication, it's just going to get worse," said Dayan Hasan of Human Rights Watch.

A suicide bomber detonated a bomb in Quetta followed by another car bomb which blew up 10 minutes later when the police and rescuers had arrived. 82 people were killed and 121 wounded including 9 police and 20 rescuers, in the double bomb attacks. "It was like doomsday. Bodies were lying everywhere," said police officer Mir Zubair Mehmood. The extremist Wahhabi Takfiri sect, Lashkar-e-Jangvi (LeJ) claimed responsibility for the attack in the Shia areas. There were other deadly attacks on Shias on Thursday with many killed and wounded.

The LeJ aims to impose a Sunni theocracy by bombing Shia religious processions and shooting of civilians. The LeJ has had historically close ties to elements in the security forces in Pakistan. "The LeJ operates under one front or the other, and its activists go around openly shouting, 'infidel, infidel, Shia infidel' and 'death to Shias' in the streets of Quetta and outside our mosques," said Seyyed Dawood Agha, a religious leader from the Baluchistan Shia Conference. "We have become a community of grave diggers. We are so used to death now that we always have shrouds ready," he added.

www.shafaqna.com/english