A suicide bomber has killed at least 30 Yemeni soldiers at a military base in the southern port city of Aden, a week after an attack by a local affiliate of ISIL killed dozens of troops in the city.
Military officials and medics told the AFP news agency early on Sunday that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives as a group of soldiers were gathering to collect their salaries at the al-Solban base in the city's northeast.
Aden al-Ghad, a local news website, said several people were wounded in the blast as thousands of men queued up at the entrance of the base.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which happened just eight days after a similar bombing claimed by ISIL killed 48 soldiers and wounded 29 others.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Islamic State training child suicide bombers in special camp
A child suicide bomber who was ordered by Islamic State extremists to carry out an attack on a sports stadium in Iraq has told Sky News how he was trained with dozens of other children in a special camp.
Shocking pictures of the failed attempt show the moment Mahmoud Ahmed was arrested in August.
He looked confused and terrified as security forces took off his explosive vest.
He was stopped near the stadium following two successful attacks in the city of Kirkuk earlier in the day.
The 15-year-old is now being held at a juvenile detention centre on terrorism charges.
Sky News was given rare access and gained a unique insight into the way IS is training children to fill their depleted ranks in the city of Mosul, which is under attack from Iraqi forces.
Mahmoud looks smaller than his age but spoke fluently throughout the interview, which was conducted in the presence of Kurdish intelligence agents.
He told me how he was radicalised and given weapons training.
"They taught us how to use a Kalashnikov and a PKC machine gun and then transferred us to Hawija.
"There were four older men who would teach us about heaven and stuff like that.
"Twenty-four hours a day they'd teach us about this stuff. There were 60 of us born from 2002 onwards.
"They would scare us and would show videos of beheadings and stuff like that."
It is not clear what will happen to him but it is expected he will be given a lengthy jail sentence.
I asked him whether he knew what he was doing was wrong.
"When I reached the target I knew it was wrong. When I saw the young kids I knew it was wrong immediately.
"I returned back to him (my handler) but he said go straight back. I told him no and he said this is an order from Abu Islam (an IS commander).
"I returned back around the stadium and they caught me."
Meanwhile, Kurdish Intelligence officials have revealed to us that thousands of children across Iraq and Syria are being exploited by the terrorist organisation to fight on the front lines and carry out suicide attacks - some of them are as young as nine years old.
The director of Zanyari Agency, Lahur Talabany, says IS is using children because they are harder to detect for the security forces. They are also more impressionable.
"We knew for the past year-and-a-half they've been looking into children and recruiting children and putting them through these kinds of programmes.
"They are very vulnerable it is much easier to turn a child into a suicide bomber than a grown up."
Children frequently appear in IS propaganda.
Some have even been indoctrinated to carry out murders in the group's name.
The child fighters are known as the cubs of the caliphate.
As the war against IS gains momentum it is clear the military alone will not be enough to defeat the extremist group.
Iraqi intelligence agencies say global action is now needed to set up deradicalisation programmes to combat the group's warped ideology.
Without them the danger is obvious - future generations indoctrinated to carry out terror attacks.
Shocking pictures of the failed attempt show the moment Mahmoud Ahmed was arrested in August.
He looked confused and terrified as security forces took off his explosive vest.
He was stopped near the stadium following two successful attacks in the city of Kirkuk earlier in the day.
The 15-year-old is now being held at a juvenile detention centre on terrorism charges.
Sky News was given rare access and gained a unique insight into the way IS is training children to fill their depleted ranks in the city of Mosul, which is under attack from Iraqi forces.
Mahmoud looks smaller than his age but spoke fluently throughout the interview, which was conducted in the presence of Kurdish intelligence agents.
He told me how he was radicalised and given weapons training.
"They taught us how to use a Kalashnikov and a PKC machine gun and then transferred us to Hawija.
"There were four older men who would teach us about heaven and stuff like that.
"Twenty-four hours a day they'd teach us about this stuff. There were 60 of us born from 2002 onwards.
"They would scare us and would show videos of beheadings and stuff like that."
It is not clear what will happen to him but it is expected he will be given a lengthy jail sentence.
I asked him whether he knew what he was doing was wrong.
"When I reached the target I knew it was wrong. When I saw the young kids I knew it was wrong immediately.
"I returned back to him (my handler) but he said go straight back. I told him no and he said this is an order from Abu Islam (an IS commander).
"I returned back around the stadium and they caught me."
Meanwhile, Kurdish Intelligence officials have revealed to us that thousands of children across Iraq and Syria are being exploited by the terrorist organisation to fight on the front lines and carry out suicide attacks - some of them are as young as nine years old.
The director of Zanyari Agency, Lahur Talabany, says IS is using children because they are harder to detect for the security forces. They are also more impressionable.
"We knew for the past year-and-a-half they've been looking into children and recruiting children and putting them through these kinds of programmes.
"They are very vulnerable it is much easier to turn a child into a suicide bomber than a grown up."
Children frequently appear in IS propaganda.
Some have even been indoctrinated to carry out murders in the group's name.
The child fighters are known as the cubs of the caliphate.
As the war against IS gains momentum it is clear the military alone will not be enough to defeat the extremist group.
Iraqi intelligence agencies say global action is now needed to set up deradicalisation programmes to combat the group's warped ideology.
Without them the danger is obvious - future generations indoctrinated to carry out terror attacks.
Donald Trump says US should let China keep seized underwater drone
Donald Trump has said the US should let China keep the underwater drone it seized in international waters.
The President-elect wrote on Twitter: "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!"
His message came after the US military announced it had reached an understanding with Beijing for the return of the underwater glider, which China said it seized to ensure the "safe navigation of passing ships".
Earlier on Saturday Mr Trump used Twitter to criticise China, slamming the move as an "unpresidented (sic) act". He later corrected the spelling.
Washington said the drone was collecting scientific data in the disputed South China Sea, and was one of two being recovered by a survey ship, when it was taken by a Chinese warship on Thursday.
Within a couple of hours of Mr Trump's original tweet, China accused the US of "hyping up" the incident and said it was not conducive to a "smooth" resolution of the dispute.
On Saturday evening, the Pentagon said that after "direct engagement with Chinese authorities" it had "secured an understanding" that the 10ft-long unmanned glider would be returned.
The US oceanographic survey ship, USNS Bowditch, was positioned about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay, near the Philippines.
When the Chinese warship approached and seized the drone, the two vessels were 500m apart.
No shots were fired and the Chinese ship left with the drone.
Tensions between the US and China have escalated since Mr Trump's shock election victory, with the President-elect suggesting he is willing to abandon the "One China" policy which guides Washington's position on Taiwan.
Mr Trump caused outrage in Beijing after he took a call from Tsai Ing-wen, the President of democratically self-ruling Taiwan, which China views as a rogue province awaiting unification.
The President-elect wrote on Twitter: "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!"
His message came after the US military announced it had reached an understanding with Beijing for the return of the underwater glider, which China said it seized to ensure the "safe navigation of passing ships".
Earlier on Saturday Mr Trump used Twitter to criticise China, slamming the move as an "unpresidented (sic) act". He later corrected the spelling.
Washington said the drone was collecting scientific data in the disputed South China Sea, and was one of two being recovered by a survey ship, when it was taken by a Chinese warship on Thursday.
Within a couple of hours of Mr Trump's original tweet, China accused the US of "hyping up" the incident and said it was not conducive to a "smooth" resolution of the dispute.
On Saturday evening, the Pentagon said that after "direct engagement with Chinese authorities" it had "secured an understanding" that the 10ft-long unmanned glider would be returned.
The US oceanographic survey ship, USNS Bowditch, was positioned about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay, near the Philippines.
When the Chinese warship approached and seized the drone, the two vessels were 500m apart.
No shots were fired and the Chinese ship left with the drone.
Tensions between the US and China have escalated since Mr Trump's shock election victory, with the President-elect suggesting he is willing to abandon the "One China" policy which guides Washington's position on Taiwan.
Mr Trump caused outrage in Beijing after he took a call from Tsai Ing-wen, the President of democratically self-ruling Taiwan, which China views as a rogue province awaiting unification.
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Ayatollah Khamenei condemns UK after PM May's comments
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned Britain as a "source of evil and misery" for the Middle East after British Prime Minister Theresa May called Iran a regional threat.
"Shamelessly, the British have recently called ... Iran a threat to the region, but everyone knows that ... it is the British who have always been the source of threats, corruption and misery," state news agency IRNA quoted Khamenei on Saturday as telling participants at an Islamic unity conference in Tehran.
Khamenei called "policies and the actions of the British in the past two centuries a source of evil and misery for the peoples of the region", IRNA added.
May called on Gulf Arab heads of state at a summit last week to work with London "to push back against Iran's aggressive regional actions, whether in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Syria or in the Gulf itself".
"So I want to assure you that I am clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to the Gulf and the wider Middle East," she told the summit in Bahrain on December 7.
Khamenei accused the United States and Britain of provoking conflicts among the main Sunni and Shia branches of Islam. "The old British policy of 'divide and conquer' is seriously on the agenda of Islam's enemies."
Iranian media reported on Saturday the foreign ministry had summoned a top British diplomat in Tehran to protest against British criticism of its actions in Syria.
The move came after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday he had summoned the ambassadors of Russia and Iran to convey his "profound disquiet" over events in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo.
Britain and Iran exchanged ambassadors in September more than a year after Britain reopened its Tehran embassy, which was closed for nearly four years after it was stormed by protesters.
Iran and most Gulf states are on opposite sides in Middle East conflicts, with Iran an ally of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's war and of the armed Houthi movement fighting a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen.
"Shamelessly, the British have recently called ... Iran a threat to the region, but everyone knows that ... it is the British who have always been the source of threats, corruption and misery," state news agency IRNA quoted Khamenei on Saturday as telling participants at an Islamic unity conference in Tehran.
Khamenei called "policies and the actions of the British in the past two centuries a source of evil and misery for the peoples of the region", IRNA added.
May called on Gulf Arab heads of state at a summit last week to work with London "to push back against Iran's aggressive regional actions, whether in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Syria or in the Gulf itself".
"So I want to assure you that I am clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to the Gulf and the wider Middle East," she told the summit in Bahrain on December 7.
Khamenei accused the United States and Britain of provoking conflicts among the main Sunni and Shia branches of Islam. "The old British policy of 'divide and conquer' is seriously on the agenda of Islam's enemies."
Iranian media reported on Saturday the foreign ministry had summoned a top British diplomat in Tehran to protest against British criticism of its actions in Syria.
The move came after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday he had summoned the ambassadors of Russia and Iran to convey his "profound disquiet" over events in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo.
Britain and Iran exchanged ambassadors in September more than a year after Britain reopened its Tehran embassy, which was closed for nearly four years after it was stormed by protesters.
Iran and most Gulf states are on opposite sides in Middle East conflicts, with Iran an ally of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's war and of the armed Houthi movement fighting a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen.
Michelle Obama tells Oprah Winfrey the White House needs a 'grown-up'
Michelle Obama has said America needs a "grown-up" in the White House during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The First Lady also said the US was "feeling what not having hope feels like" following the election of Donald Trump.
Both Mrs Obama and her husband had spoken out against the billionaire tycoon on the campaign trail, saying he was "unfit" to hold office.
In candid remarks to the talk show host, the First Lady said Mr Obama had made the nation more hopeful during his eight years in office "because we feel the difference now".
During the interview, which is set to air on CBS, Mrs Obama said the country would come to appreciate her husband.
She added: "Because we feel the difference now.
"See, now we are feeling what not having hope feels like, you know?
"Hope is necessary. It's a necessary concept. And Barack didn't just talk about hope because he thought it was just a nice slogan to get votes."
She also said the President had provided reassurance and leadership in the face of uncertainty.
Mrs Obama said: "I feel that Barack has been that for the nation in ways that people will come to appreciate.
"Having a grown-up in the White House who can say to you in times of crisis and turmoil 'Hey, it's going to be okay. Let's remember the good things that we have. Let's look at the future. Let's look at all the things that we are building'."
Her comments come amid continuing controversy around the deeply divisive election with claims the Kremlin had ordered cyberattacks against the defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in a bid to influence the outcome.
Mrs Obama, who met the President-elect and his wife Melania at the White House after the election in November, did not mention the couple by name during the interview.
The First Lady also said the US was "feeling what not having hope feels like" following the election of Donald Trump.
Both Mrs Obama and her husband had spoken out against the billionaire tycoon on the campaign trail, saying he was "unfit" to hold office.
In candid remarks to the talk show host, the First Lady said Mr Obama had made the nation more hopeful during his eight years in office "because we feel the difference now".
During the interview, which is set to air on CBS, Mrs Obama said the country would come to appreciate her husband.
She added: "Because we feel the difference now.
"See, now we are feeling what not having hope feels like, you know?
"Hope is necessary. It's a necessary concept. And Barack didn't just talk about hope because he thought it was just a nice slogan to get votes."
She also said the President had provided reassurance and leadership in the face of uncertainty.
Mrs Obama said: "I feel that Barack has been that for the nation in ways that people will come to appreciate.
"Having a grown-up in the White House who can say to you in times of crisis and turmoil 'Hey, it's going to be okay. Let's remember the good things that we have. Let's look at the future. Let's look at all the things that we are building'."
Her comments come amid continuing controversy around the deeply divisive election with claims the Kremlin had ordered cyberattacks against the defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in a bid to influence the outcome.
Mrs Obama, who met the President-elect and his wife Melania at the White House after the election in November, did not mention the couple by name during the interview.
People 'shot dead trying to flee Aleppo hell', says White Helmet
A White Helmet rescue worker in war-torn Aleppo has told Sky News how people were shot by pro-government forces as they tried to flee the "hell" of the Syrian city.
Ishmael al Abdullah, of the Syria Civil Defence group, described the "dangerous journey" faced in trying to escape the eastern rebel enclave and said tens of thousands remained trapped and were desperate to leave.
He was speaking after the operation to evacuate people from the last opposition-held areas stalled on Friday amid claims of violations.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called on the warring factions to agree a plan to provide a safe passage for evacuees.
Both sides now claim to have reached a deal to allow the evacuation to resume, although this will inevitably be fragile.
Russia has been accused of failing to "restrain" Iranian-backed militias to allow for the evacuation to continue.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Abdullah said more than 40,000 people remain trapped.
He said: "Yesterday, they opened fire on the people who were trying to escape from this hell - they killed three people.
"Assad mercenaries killed the three people in cold blood in front of the Red Crescent and all the guys who witnessed that crime… Now we are waiting for the new deal.
"Up to now we do not trust anyone. Up till now we haven't seen any deal and no one saw up to now the green buses (used to take civilians out of Aleppo)."
Highlighting the plight of residents, he said: "They are trapped. Most of them are waiting to leave the city.
"Everyone wants to leave Aleppo city."
He added: "The people who arrived on the other side told us it was like the Assad forces and the pro-government militias were looking at the people and may be at any time they will shoot anyone who will look at them.
"It's a really a dangerous journey between the two sides."
Mr Abdullah also gave an insight into the hazardous work of the White Helmets in Aleppo and claimed they had been deliberately targeted by the the military of President Bashar al Assad.
He said: "We saved a lot of people - a lot of kids.
"And this situation, it's like when we respond to any bombing site… many times Assad's forces targeted us and we lost a lot of friends when they were trying to save the people.
"It's like a strategy for them where they want to kill everyone who is trying to save anyone, anyone under the rubble who needs help."
:: A convoy carrying enough supplies to build a children's hospital near Aleppo is due to leave central London for Syria.
Around 3,000 people have donated nearly £150,000 to fund what organisers say is the first ever crowd-funded hospital.
Donald Trump slams Chinese seizure of US drone as 'unpresidented act'
Donald Trump has hit out at the Chinese seizure of a US underwater drone in international waters as an "unpresidented (sic) act".
The US said the drone was collecting scientific data in the disputed South China Sea, and was one of two being recovered by a survey ship, when it was taken by a Chinese warship.
:: Is Chinese drone face-off a signal to Trump?
Mr Trump responded to the move on Twitter on Saturday, misspelling the word "unprecedented" as he conveyed his outrage.
"China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act," he wrote.
Two hours later he tweeted the same response - this time correcting his spelling error - and deleted his initial tweet.
Within a couple of hours of his original tweet, China accused the US of "hyping up" the incident and said it was not conducive to a "smooth" resolution of the dispute.
:: Is Trump prepared for war with China?
China's defence ministry said it had been in touch with the US about returning the drone.
Beijing will remain on alert to US surveillance and take the necessary steps, it added.
The US has demanded Beijing returns the 10ft-long unmanned glider and has issued a formal complaint.
The US oceanographic survey ship, USNS Bowditch, was positioned about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay, near the Philippines.
When the Chinese warship approached and seized the drone on Thursday, the two vessels were 500m apart.
No shots were fired and the Chinese ship left with the drone.
Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters: "It is ours. It's clearly marked as ours. We would like it back, and we would like this not to happen again."
It comes amid escalating tensions between China and the US after the President-elect suggested he is willing to abandon the One China policy which guides Washington's position on Taiwan.
Mr Trump caused outrage in Beijing after he took a call from Tsai Ing-wen, the president of democratically self-ruling Taiwan.
:: First Lady says White House needs a 'grown-up'
Although the US is Taiwan's main ally and arms supplier, Washington has not had official diplomatic relations with it for almost four decades.
It was the first such contact with Taiwan by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979.
Officials in Beijing have said it is "seriously concerned" about the future and the US view on Taiwan..
However, Mr Trump is showing no signs of backing down to China, which considers Taiwan a rogue province awaiting unification.
He has also criticised Chinese currency policies, its activities in the South China Sea and its stance towards North Korea.
China's seizure of the US drone will add to concerns about its growing military presence in the South China Sea, including its militarisation of maritime outposts.
The US said the drone was collecting scientific data in the disputed South China Sea, and was one of two being recovered by a survey ship, when it was taken by a Chinese warship.
:: Is Chinese drone face-off a signal to Trump?
Mr Trump responded to the move on Twitter on Saturday, misspelling the word "unprecedented" as he conveyed his outrage.
"China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act," he wrote.
Two hours later he tweeted the same response - this time correcting his spelling error - and deleted his initial tweet.
Within a couple of hours of his original tweet, China accused the US of "hyping up" the incident and said it was not conducive to a "smooth" resolution of the dispute.
:: Is Trump prepared for war with China?
China's defence ministry said it had been in touch with the US about returning the drone.
Beijing will remain on alert to US surveillance and take the necessary steps, it added.
The US has demanded Beijing returns the 10ft-long unmanned glider and has issued a formal complaint.
The US oceanographic survey ship, USNS Bowditch, was positioned about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay, near the Philippines.
When the Chinese warship approached and seized the drone on Thursday, the two vessels were 500m apart.
No shots were fired and the Chinese ship left with the drone.
Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters: "It is ours. It's clearly marked as ours. We would like it back, and we would like this not to happen again."
It comes amid escalating tensions between China and the US after the President-elect suggested he is willing to abandon the One China policy which guides Washington's position on Taiwan.
Mr Trump caused outrage in Beijing after he took a call from Tsai Ing-wen, the president of democratically self-ruling Taiwan.
:: First Lady says White House needs a 'grown-up'
Although the US is Taiwan's main ally and arms supplier, Washington has not had official diplomatic relations with it for almost four decades.
It was the first such contact with Taiwan by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979.
Officials in Beijing have said it is "seriously concerned" about the future and the US view on Taiwan..
However, Mr Trump is showing no signs of backing down to China, which considers Taiwan a rogue province awaiting unification.
He has also criticised Chinese currency policies, its activities in the South China Sea and its stance towards North Korea.
China's seizure of the US drone will add to concerns about its growing military presence in the South China Sea, including its militarisation of maritime outposts.
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