IS carries out deadly bombings in Damascus - leaves more than 76 dead

#damascus #ISIS #suicidebomber #SayyidahZaynab The IS terror group carried out three deadly bombings that rocked a Shiite district south of the capital Damascus, killed over 76 people and have taken responsibility for the same. The triple bombings rocked the Sayyidah Zaynab district which was being guarded by the Shiite Lebanese Hezbollah group - it is located in the southern countryside of Damascus.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 1 February 2016.

The first of the explosions was in a booby-trapped car and it targeted a passenger bus on the al-Sudan street in that area. Following this bombing, two suicide bombers detonated their explosives-laden belts in the crowed that gathered at the blast site. The death toll is given as 76 but,it could rise because many wounded people were critical. As indicated by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitor, a total of 25 Shiite fighters were among those killed.
Incidentally, the Sayyidah Zaynab tomb had become a center of religious studies of the adherents of the Shiite sect of Islam and a destination of mass pilgrimage by Shiite Muslims from across the Muslim world. In view of the religious significance of the district, Hezbollah had dispatched fighters to protect the shrine and man the checkpoints surrounding it.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Treasure hunters told to keep away since the Nazi Gold train could be booby-trapped

Two men, a Pole and a German, have revealed that they had found a train with guns and valuables, supposedly a Nazi train that could have been carrying valuable stuff. The duo has informed through lawyers that they wanted 10% of the value of anything that was found as a reward. However, till now, there is no visual evidence about the existence of such a train.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 28 August 2015.

As per local folklore, the train had vanished near Ksiaz castle, two miles from the south-eastern city of Walbrzych. Rumor has it that the train was packed with gold, gems and weapons and went missing in Poland while fleeing the Red Army after the end of World War II.
Treasure hunters have been looking for it for decades, and in the communist era, the Polish army had also tried to locate it. Deputy Culture Minister Piotr Zuchowski has now warned to stay away from the long-lost Nazi "gold train" because, even if found after 70 years, it may be booby-trapped. It could be mined and dangerous.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)


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Iraqi forces retake Salahudin province from ISIS

#Salahudin #ISIS #Tikrit #Iraq #Humvee #Baghdad The ISIS had captured the Salahudin province on 11 June last year and Iraqi forces have now retaken it and driven out the militants as reported in zeenews.india.com dated 3 March 2015. The Iraqi troops and allied Sunni and Shia militias, with the necessary air support, has successfully freed the town of Himreen. The IS militants were forced to flee from the town after a heavy clash that killed at least three of them. Five security members were injured. As per reports, the troops were able to foil two suicide bomb attacks - one of these was a booby-trapped tanker truck and the other a Humvee vehicle.
The liberation of Himreen is seen as a major achievement after an offensive was launched from five directions – the objective was to recapture key cities and towns that had been seized by the IS in the Salahudin province.
It seems the troops, backed by armored vehicles and Iraqi aircraft, have surrounded the town of Dour, located nearly 25-Km south of Tikrit, and has been able to regain control of many villages north of Samarra, some 120-Km north of Baghdad.
The forces have to advance with due care because the IS militants have planted bombs on the roads and buildings. So far, explosion experts have successfully defused over 150 bombs and eight car bombs.

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