An explosion in central Istanbul killed eight people wounded 81; the authorities suspect the involvement of a woman

Istanbul police have arrested 46 people in connection with the explosion in the busy Istiklal Avenue of Turkey’s largest city. At least eight people died in the blast while 81 others suffered injuries. Interior minister Suleyman Soylu revealed that the suspects included the “person who left the bomb that caused the explosion.” The authorities suspect the involvement of a woman. She admitted being trained by Kurdish militants in Syria and had gained entry into Turkey through northwest Syria’s Afrin region. Security sources say two other Syrian nationals were involved in the attack. The police captured the woman, in her late 20s or early 30s, from the place where she was staying. Istanbul police checked the security cameras near the site of the explosion. They have also conducted raids at different addresses where the female suspect had links. Turkish police arrest 46 people over Istanbul explosion.

Kurdish separatists, ISIL (ISIS), and other groups have targeted Istanbul and other Turkish cities in the past. These included a series of attacks in 2015 and 2016. In December 2016, twin bombings outside an Istanbul football stadium killed 38 people and wounded 155. Countries like Azerbaijan, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Pakistan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States condemned the latest attack. Greece “unequivocally” denounced the blast and expressed condolences, while the US said it stood “shoulder-to-shoulder with our NATO ally in countering terrorism.” French President Emmanuel Macron said - “We share your pain. We stand with you in the fight against terrorism.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine tweeted - “The pain of the friendly Turkish people is our pain.” European Council President Charles Michel tweeted - “My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”

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Russia wants to use the latest round of war-games Vostok 2022 to demonstrate that it has sufficient military might to undertake massive drills. This is in spite of its engagement in other fronts. The intention of the weeklong war games between China and Russia is to show their cooperation against the United States. The Vostok 2022 (East 2022) exercises will go on at seven firing ranges in Russia’s Far East and the Sea of Japan. The Russian participation would be of more than 50,000 troops and 5,000 weapons units. These would include aircraft and warships. China, on its part, would join with more than 2,000 troops along with more than 300 military vehicles, 21 combat aircraft and 3 warships. The chief of the Russian General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, will personally oversee the drills. These would involve troops from a number of former Soviet nations apart from countries like China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Syria. The Defense Ministry revealed that the navies of Russia and China would conduct exercises in the Sea of Japan. Russia launches war games with China amid growing tensions for both with the U.S. . This will be the first time that China has sent forces from three branches of its military to involve in a single Russian drill.

Vostok 2022 is described as an exercise to showcase the extent of the Sino-Russian military cooperation and mutual trust. These have strengthened recently. China has blamed the U.S. and NATO for imposing sanctions on Moscow. Russia responded by backing China in the tensions with the U.S. following the visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted that Washington was trying to foment global instability. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have developed a bond that bolsters a “strategic partnership” between the former communist rivals. Both of them have a common rival in the United States.

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Bomb blast in a mosque in Kabul during evening prayers kills many

A bomb blast in the Siddiquiya Mosque in the northern Kabul neighborhood of Khair Khanna killed many worshippers. It happened during evening prayers and the authorities have yet to confirm the exact number of deaths. Initial reports say the blast killed at least three people and left dozens of others wounded. Italian non-governmental organization NGO Emergency operates a hospital in the capital. It said it had 27 patients wounded in the blast. Three of them are dead and five of the wounded were children. A security official revealed to a section of the media that 20 people lost their lives in the blast and 40 others suffered injuries. A spokesman of the Taliban government confirmed people have died but did not specify the number of casualties. Several killed in explosion at mosque in Kabul. The official wrote on Twitter - “The murderers of civilians and perpetrators … will soon be punished for their crimes.”

A spokesman of the Kabul police confirmed - “A blast happened inside a mosque … the blast has casualties, but the numbers are not clear yet.” Witnesses revealed to the media about the blast that shattered windows in nearby buildings. Intelligence teams arrived at the site of the blast and the matter is under investigation. The Taliban took over in August last year after the withdrawal of United States-led NATO forces. The de-facto government of the Taliban has yet to be recognized by the world. The Taliban asserts that it has made the nation secure but Afghanistan continues to witness regular attacks by armed groups. Militant groups commit many of these. Last week, a bomb attack killed a prominent Taliban religious leader at a seminary in Kabul. The ISIL (ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier, in June, there was an attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul in which two people were killed.

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NATO troops on high alert in view of fears that President Putin might attack the West

President Vladimir Putin of Russia has been accused of attempting to interfere with the US election process by hacking into the emails of senior members of the Democratic party. He has also recently moved the Iskander nuclear-capable missiles into the Kaliningrad enclave, on the borders with Poland. Therefore, NATO members like Estonia, Poland and Romania are feeling more and more threatened by Moscow.
Obviously, NATO chiefs are in panic that Russian President Vladimir Putin might attack the West and are, therefore, trying to get together a force of 300,000 troops which they can put on 'high alert'.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 7 November 2016.

Relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated because of Moscow's insistence on backing its Syrian ally, President Bashar al-Assad, at all costs. This has led to serious tension with the US, Britain and France. While most of the NATO members have slashed their defense spending after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has been bolstering its military capabilities. It has been holding parades involving more than 100,000 troops each year.
It is understood that it would take NATO at least six months to deploy a force of 300,000 - and it was too slow. President Putin has assured that his country does not want world domination or expansion or confrontation with anyone. Russia values its independence and own identity.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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ISIS terrorists are arriving in Europe in the guise of refugees

Fears have been expressed in certain quarters that ISIS is 'spreading like cancer' and terrorists in the guise of refugees are arriving in Europe. This has been revealed by a US General who is the Commander of NATO's European unit. In his opinion, the arrival of thousands of migrants in to the continent is 'masking the movement' of violent extremists, criminals and foreign fighters.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 1 March 2016.

The US Air Force General has informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that these dangerous elements heightened the potential for a terror attack. Within this mix of people from different background, ISIS is 'taking advantage of paths of least resistance and is a threat to European nations as well as the United States.
The General has asked for more U.S. forces to be permanently based in Europe because it is facing threats from a more aggressive Russia as well as the ISIS. His requirement is for Army troops that could be ready to respond quickly to any crisis or military need. The Pentagon has decreased the number of US forces in Europe over the last several years, and has, instead, shifted focus to the Asia Pacific while fighting continues in the Middle East. However, in view of the increasing threats from Russia and ISIS questions are being raised about those decisions.
It is estimated that about 6,000 foreign fighters have left to join the fight in Syria and Iraq, and out of that, some 1,500 of them have returned to Europe. As per information of the International Organization for Migration, almost 130,000 migrants - or, more than 2,000 each day - have reached Europe by sea since the beginning of this year and 418 have died in the attempts, most drowning in the cold, rough waters. This means that the number of arrivals in the first two months of 2016 is more than 11 times as many as the same period last year.


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