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ISIS emir (*) Salih Xelef El-Eli was taken captive by SDF fighters during the Operation Cizire Storm. Salih told how he joined ISIS and became an ISIS emir even though he was a simple and uneducated man. ISIS emir Salih Xelef El-Eli is from the town of Kesra west of Deir ez-Zor city. He was born in 1992. Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured El-Eli in El-Kuber town, west of Deir ez-Zor city. Rojava based Hawar News Agency (ANHA) interviewed captive ISIS emir Salih El-Eli who told the story of his life, how he joined ISIS and became...

Qatari royals rush to Switzerland in nine planes after emir breaks leg A fleet of jets, including an Airbus, made emergency landings at Zurich-Kloten airport after Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani suffered a fracture Agence France-Presse Tuesday 29 December 2015 07.05 GMT Unidentified individuals travelling in as many as nine planes belonging to Qatar's royal family made an emergency trip to Switzerland over the weekend for medical reasons, according to a Swiss official. A spokesman for Switzerland's federal office of civil aviation confirmed local media reports that multiple aircraft made unscheduled landings at the Zurich-Kloten airport overnight from 25...

I have no idea if this is true as both sides in the Syrian Civil War are putting out a huge amount of fake propaganda materials.I don’t know why Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani would need to try to make it through Syrian Army checkpoints on the way to Lebanon, of all places, since the Al Nusra Front is doing fairly well and even if his Al Qaeda front group wanted to carry out an attack on Hezbollah, this seems like an oddball way to go about it.But it’s entertaining if true. And also entertaining if not true. Yesterday, many Arabic-language...

"In this way we can promote our moderate message of Islam. The Emir [of Qatar] would really like this." — Mohamed al-Maimouni, spokesman, Danish Islamic Council. Construction crews in Copenhagen have raised Denmark's first minaret -- a 20 meter (65 foot) tower-like structure that will alter Copenhagen's low-rise skyline -- as the finishing touch on a colossal project to build the biggest mega-mosque in Scandinavia. Construction of the minaret, which was finished on September 3, marks the final phase of work on Denmark's first-ever purpose-built mosque, situated at Rovsingsgade Street in Nørrebro, a heavily Islamized district in northwestern Copenhagen. The...

Image that accompanied Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's audiotape announcing the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. The flag was originally al Qaeda in Iraq's banner, but has been adopted by other al Qaeda affiliated and associated groups. Image from the SITE Intelligence Group. The emir of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), Abu Bakr al Baghdadi (also known as Abu Dua), has announced a new brand for his organization's efforts: the "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant." The new name replaces all previous brands used by al Qaeda's affiliates in Iraq and Syria, including the...

SNIPPET: "Indonesian anti-terror police, Densus 88 secure a terror suspect's house during a raid in Mojosongo, Solo in Central Java. Indonesian police have arrested 11 members of an Islamic group allegedly planning attacks on American diplomatic missions, a spokesman says." SNIPPET: "The group had planned to hit the US embassy and a US consulate, as well as a building near the Australian embassy in the capital Jakarta that houses the office of American mining giant Freeport-McMoran, police said. Police said they were from a new outfit called HASMI, the Sunni Movement for Indonesian Society, and explosives and a bomb-making manual...

A Facebook page demanding the ouster of Qatar's moderate, pro-Western emir, accusing him of being an agent of Israel, had attracted 18,262 fans by Saturday in the latest web-driven push for change in the Arab world. In what is apparently the first call for change in the gas-rich state since popular revolts began sweeping the Arab world, the page has a profile picture with an image of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, crossed out in red. Against a backdrop of Qatar's flag is the tagline: "For Qatar: try the traitor, an agent of Israel." Entitled "Freedom Revolution, March 16, Qatar,"...

Rather than the January 24th suicide bombing at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport (that claimed 36 lives and wounded almost 200) giving rise to a soul searching by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, it has sadly given rise to hypocrisy on his part. Moscow’s investigation into the attack is still ongoing. But earlier this month, in a very chilling video, Doku Umarov—the self-styled emir of the Causasus Emirate—claimed responsibility for it.Threatening further attacks, Umarov said, "With Allah's grace, we will make this year for you a year of blood and tears."

"Transcript: Message from the "Emir" of the "German Taliban Mujahideen" Abu Ishaq al-Muhajir" By Evan Kohlmann SNIPPET: "The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new document from the designated terrorist organization known as the “Islamic Jihad Union” (IJU), offering a message from the “German Taliban Mujahideen.”" T

NYU president John Sexton has been promised a blank check to duplicate his university on a desert island in Abu Dhabi. The expansion will leave both campuses flush with petrodollars. But to many faculty, the deal amounts to a sellout. John Sexton’s office, which sits on the top floor of NYU’s Bobst Library and boasts an impressive view north to Washington Square Park, has recently begun to resemble a shrine to Abu Dhabi. The university president has installed a massive Oriental rug, a gift from the crown prince, on one entire wall. On another hangs a framed portrait of the...

On Saturday, Abu Omar al Baghdadi, Emir of the Islamic state of Iraq, released a 23 minute audio statement yesterday announcing his plan to counter the US troop surge. He claimed North Korea owes a debt to the Iraqi jihadists because without them they could not have conducted their nuclear test. He also claims that he expects the US to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities. A complete translation follow: All praise is due to Allah. We praise him, we beg for His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We ask for the protection of Allah against the evil and we...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A key al-Qaida in Iraq leader described as the group's "religious emir" was killed in a U.S. airstrike hours before two American soldiers went missing and in the same area, the military said Tuesday. Mansour Suleiman Mansour Khalifi al-Mashhadani, or Sheik Mansour, and two foreign fighters were killed as they tried to flee in a vehicle near the town of Youssifiyah, in the so-called Sunni "Triangle of Death." U.S. coalition forces had been tracking al-Mashhadani for some time, American military spokesman William Caldwell said in announcing his death. He said al-Mashhadani was an Iraqi, 35 to 37...

KUWAIT CITY (AP) -- Kuwait's ailing emir, Sheik Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, has abdicated following an agreement within the ruling family, a lawmaker said Monday. The abdication paves the way for the prime minister and longtime de facto ruler, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, to become the country's new emir, and ends an unprecedented public quarrel inside the ruling family. "An agreement has been reached in the family, and he will sign the abdication papers tomorrow," parliamentarian Nasser al-Saneh told The Associated Press. He said the two struggling camps of the family met Monday evening in order to...

The Kuwaiti government has submitted a letter to parliament to start constitutional procedures to remove the oil-rich state's ailing emir, parliament speaker Jassem al-Khorafi told AFP Monday. "Yes, I received the letter," said Khorafi, who declined to give further details. Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah became emir on the death of his predecessor last Sunday.

Ailing Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah officially asked to take the oath of office on Sunday, parliament speaker Jassem al-Khorafi said Saturday. "I have received a letter from his Highness the Emir asking for convening parliament to take the oath ... on Sunday," Khorafi told reporters as The announcement came as the cabinet met to discuss constitutional procedures to ask parliament to consider removing Sheikh Saad, who is said to be too ill to read out the two-line oath.

Kuwait's ruling al-Sabah family has overwhelmingly backed Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah to become emir to replace the emirate's new ailing ruler, a top family source told AFP Friday. "The overwhelming majority of the family came this morning to the house of Sheikh Sabah and expressed complete trust in him to become new emir in light of the health condition of the current emir," the source said on condition of anonymity. "Sheikh Sabah accepted their request" during the meeting attended by nearly all senior members of the ruling family, said the source. Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah, 75, who...

The emir of oil-rich Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, has died aged 77, a court statement has said. Sheikh Jaber, who had led the country since December 1977, suffered ill health and was seldom seen in public after suffering a minor stroke in 2001. The statement announcing his death was read on Kuwaiti state television. Concerns have grown in recent years for the Gulf state's future leadership, with the country's crown prince also in his 70s and said to be in poor health. A 40-day period of mourning has been declared and government offices will be closed for three days.

Per CNN...

The ruler of emirate of Dubai, also the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, died on Wednesday in Australia. Maktoum, 60, had reportedly suffered from heart problems. "The UAE has today lost a historical leader who dedicated his life to building the nation and doing good for its people," an official statement read. His brother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is currently the Defense Minister of the UAE, will replace the former leader as ruler of Dubai, while UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan will...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 November 16, 2005Release Number: 05-11-72 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AL QAEDA IN IRAQ EMIR OF SADAH BAGGED BAGHDAD, Iraq – Multi-National Forces used multiple intelligence sources and tips from concerned citizens to locate a known al Qaeda in Iraq safe house harboring terrorists and foreign fighters Nov. 7. Upon arrival at the terrorist safe house, Multi-National Forces detained numerous terrorists and foreign fighters; among them was Sadiq Ayadah Husayn Matar (aka Abu Ahmed), the al Qaeda in Iraq...