Britons Who Fought IS Freed From Iraqi Jail

Two Britons and an Irishman jailed in northern Iraq after joining the fight against Islamic State have been freed.

Joe Akerman, a former soldier from Halifax, and Jac Holmes, an IT worker from Dorset, were incarcerated along with ex-Royal Irish Regiment soldier Joshua Molloy, from Co Laois, after crossing from Syria.

It is understood they had been with the Kurdish People's Protection Units, a force of up to 50,000 fighters trying to fend off IS.

But after leaving the frontline to come home they were jailed by the Kurdish Regional Government, who reputedly demanded £10,400 in fines to be paid.

The trio were released after 10 days following diplomatic efforts from the UK and Ireland.

Mr Molloy's father said it felt like Christmas when he heard the news.

"We are all delighted here," said Declan Molloy. "We are jumping with joy to know that he is out.

"You know that Christmas morning feeling, it's a bit like that, when you find your most sought-after present under the tree, the dream present. That's how we feel."

Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan welcomed the news of Mr Molloy's release with a Tweet wishing him a safe journey home.

It is understood the three spent months fighting IS.

Mr Holmes, who had no military experience before travelling to Syria, was shot in one arm in a gun battle with IS forces last May.

His mother Angie described the three as "heroes".

"Jack's family and friends are grateful for all the help and support they've received during this difficult time," she said.

"(We) would like to thank everyone including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Kurdish Regional Government for their assistance in securing his release."

A Foreign and Commonwealth spokeswoman said: "We are helping two British men make arrangements to leave Kurdistan after they were released from custody."

It is understood Mr Molloy is in a hotel in Kurdistan and is considering spending time in Europe with fellow foreign fighters before he returns to Ireland.

source

Obama To Send 250 Extra US Troops To Syria

Barack Obama is planning to send up to 250 extra American troops to Syria to fight Islamic State, bringing the total US deployment on the ground to 300.

The plan was announced by US officials ahead of a meeting in Germany today attended by Mr Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister David Cameron.

French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will also join the talks in Hanover, which will consider the war in Syria and other foreign policy issues.

The additional deployment aims to accelerate recent gains against IS and reflects renewed confidence in the ability of US-backed forces inside Syria and Iraq to claw back territory from the militants.

Mr Obama has resisted sending US troops into Syria, where a five-year civil war has killed more than 250,000 people.

Last year he sent 50 US special operations forces into Syria in what was described as a "counterterrorism" mission.

Commenting on the further deployment, one US official said: "He (Mr Obama) intends to put in more ... forces to the tune of 250 in Syria."

A second official added: "The president has authorised a series of steps to increase support for our partners in the region, including Iraqi security forces as well as local Syrian forces who are taking the fight to ISIL."

The deployment is expected to be officially announced during remarks by the US President at the Hanover Messe fairgrounds later today.

Speaking at a news conference with Ms Merkel on Sunday, Mr Obama said he was "deeply concerned" by a recent surge in violence in Syria.

Airstrikes and shelling pounded the city of Aleppo for the third straight day on Sunday, killing two young siblings and at least 24 others.

The northern city has been bitterly contested between insurgents and government forces since 2012.

At least 10 people were killed by rebel shelling on government-held areas in the city, according to activists and Syria's state news agency SANA.

Mr Obama said it is difficult to see how a so-called safe zone would work in Syria without a large military presence.

"The issue surrounding a safe zone in Syrian territory is not a matter of an ideological objection on my part," he said.

"It's not a matter of me not wishing I could help and protect a whole bunch of people. It’s a very practical about how do you do it?"

source

North Korean Spy Chief Defects To The South

A North Korean spy chief has fled Kim Jong-Un's secretive state and defected to the South, officials in Seoul have said.

The army colonel had handled spy operations targeting South Korea at the North's General Bureau of Reconnaissance and is the highest level military official ever to defect, a Seoul government official told the Yonhap news agency.

Unification and defence ministry spokesmen confirmed the report to AFP but declined to elaborate on details including the official's name.

He is already believed to have passed on valuable intelligence about North Korea's spying operation against the South.

The latest blow to dictator Kim Jong-Un's authority comes days after the mass defection of 13 workers in a state-run restaurant in China.

The group switched sides after watching TV and surfing the internet alerted them to Pyongyang's propaganda.

The defections come at a time of elevated military tensions on the divided Korean peninsula.

North Korea has defied the international community with a series of missile tests in 2016 - and last week claimed to have successfully tested an engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang has condemned Seoul and Washington for a sanctions drive at the UN over its nuclear and missile programmes, while also lashing out at the annual US-South Korea military war games.

Nearly 30,000 North Koreans have fled poverty and repression, despite risk of imprisonment and torture if caught, and settled in the South.

But the number of defectors - who once numbered more than 2,000 a year - has nearly halved since leader Kim Jong-Un took power after the death of his father and longtime ruler Kim Jong-Il in December 2011.

source

Al Qaeda Digs In As Dust Settles On Yemen War

Among the ruins of ancient treasured buildings, the twisted remains of the victims of air strikes and the soiled reputation of international relations, it's often hard to find a winner in any civil war.

But as the dust begins to settle on Yemen's year-long conflict, the glint of white can be discerned through the fog of bloodshed – the white teeth of al Qaeda fighters.

A Saudi-led coalition of fellow Sunni Arab states launched air strikes and later a land campaign against Shia Houthi rebels in March last year.

They were officially coming to the aid of the internationally-recognised president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

The Houthis sided with his (Sunni) predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and were seen as having the backing of Iran, the Shia theocracy and arch rival of the Sunni Arab dynasties.

The coalition saw the fight against the Houthis as essential.

Making up 35% of Yemen's population, the Houthis were seen as a potential threat along Saudi Arabia's southern border - much like the Hezbollah along Israel's northern frontier.

A new confidence among younger members of the Gulf Co-operation Council fed a belligerent mood and pride that (at last) Arab nations were taking control of their own destinies and not asking Americans to do their fighting for them.

But a year in, things have not gone so well.

The coalition has been blooded. The military performance of some units, led occasionally by Gulf royals, have gone some way to shaking off the caricature of the overweight and idle "Gulfie".

But human rights groups have been outraged by that they say has been the profligate disregard for civilian life shown by coalition war planes.

On top of that, Gulf allies, notable the UK and the US, have come in for bitter criticism for supplying bombs to the coalition.

British officials have been squirming about trying to come up with a credible moral explanation for the "six to ten" personnel the military have working in the Saudi targeting cell.

The Whitehall line is that they're there to train Saudi targeteers but have no access to battle damage assessments - without which no training would be possible.

This has all been awkward for governments keen to flog munitions to the Saudis.

Britain sold £1.75bn-worth in the first six months of last year. Western governments continue to stick to the notion (publicly anyway) that human rights matter.

More problematic, though, is that the war in Yemen has created more space for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to operate.

This, remember, is the group behind the Charlie Hebdo massacres and numerous bomb plots.

Al Qaeda now has a significant presence across at least a quarter of central Yemen, and control of Makallah Port which generates $2m a day in revenues.

It controls about 370 miles of Yemen's coastline and has begun raising taxes to fill coffers already gorged with $100m in looted bank cash.

This is the first time al Qaeda has controlled and administered territory on this scale – a victory delivered thanks to a war against someone else.

source

Panama Papers: Poroshenko Denies Tax Avoidance

The President of Ukraine, whose name was mentioned in the Panama Papers, has denied trying to minimise his taxes.

Petro Poroshenko was among dozens of politicians named in millions of files leaked from an offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca, to a German newspaper earlier this week.  

Mr Poroshenko told reporters in Tokyo that he set up a blind trust offshore to separate his business and political interests when he became president in 2014. 

"This is absolutely normal procedure, and I think this is the main difference from the naming of all the political figures in this Panama list," he said.

"If we have anything to be investigated, I am happy to do that," he added. 

"But this is absolutely transparent from the very beginning.

"No hidden account, no associated management, no nothing."

Mr Poroshenko – nicknamed the 'chocolate king' – made a large amount of money from his confectionery company, Roshen.

When reporters asked him why he had not kept a campaign promise to sell his business if elected, Poroshenko said there were no buyers when his country was "in a state of war".

Ukraine’s fiscal service is to examine documents detailing his offshore assets.

Mr Poroshenko said he could not access those assets until the end of his presidency.

Iceland's Prime Minister became the first casualty of the Panama Papers when he resigned on Tuesday.

The leaked documents are said to show that Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson and his wife owned a firm in the British Virgin Islands which held investments in Iceland's collapsed banks.

David Cameron has also been caught up in the controversy, after his late father Ian was named in the papers.

Meanwhile the top actor in Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, has denied any connection to four shipping companies registered in tax havens.

Responding to a story in the Indian Express based on the Panama Papers, he said: "It is possible that my name has been misused."

He insisted he was unaware of any of the companies he’d allegedly been linked with.

In a statement, he said: "I have paid all my taxes including on monies spent by me overseas … In any event the news report in the Indian Express doesn't even suggest any illegality on my part."

source

Brussels Bomber Worked As EU Parliament Cleaner

One of the suicide bombers who attacked the Brussels airport had previously worked as a cleaner at the European Parliament.

According to a parliamentary spokesman, Najim Laachraoui did not have a criminal record at the time of his employment.

"As a student, he held a summer holiday job cleaning at the parliament for one month in 2009 and one month in 2010,” the spokesman said in a statement.

"Those were the only instances he worked at the parliament."

Najim Laachraoui blew himself up at the Brussels airport, and is also suspected of making suicide vests for last November’s Paris attack.

The revelation came as Belgium’s prime minister admitted the country had made mistakes in how it tackled violent extremism.

"In the fight against terrorism, in all countries in the world and in Europe, there have been successes and there have been failures," Prime Minister Charles Michel said.

But he rejected suggestions Belgium had become a "weak link" in Europe’s war on terrorism.

"If we were weak, then we would not have been able to convict 100 persons," he said, arguing that Belgian authorities had prevented many attacks.

He made the comments to an audience of largely foreign journalists following last month’s attack on the Brussels airport and metro.

The attacks killed 32 people, along with the three bombers.

Mr Michel says Belgium is determined to learn from its mistakes and improve information sharing between various security agencies.

source

Greece Begins Sending Migrants Back To Turkey

The first boats carrying migrants from Greece have arrived in Turkey as part of an EU deal to deport those who have failed to gain asylum.

Ships carrying around 200 migrants and refugees - more than 130 from Lesbos and over 60 from Chios - set off across the Aegean Sea from the islands on Monday.

The first boat with several dozen passengers on board arrived at Dikili on the Turkish coast at around 9.20am (local time), accompanied by two Turkish coastguard vessels and a police helicopter.

They were taken to a small white tent on the quayside, behind security fencing, where they were met by immigration officials.

"All of the migrants returned are from Pakistan except for two migrants from Syria who returned voluntarily," Giorgos Kyritsis, a spokesman for a government refugee crisis committee, told state television.

He said there was "no timetable" for further deportations, adding the examination of asylum applications "will take some time".

Sky's Michelle Clifford in Lesbos said: "The whole idea about this scheme is to deter people from making that dangerous sea crossing from Turkey here to Greece.

"But as those ferries left here we filmed 58 migrants being brought to shore by the coastguard - so half as many almost as were taken away to Turkey - arrived from Turkey. Clearly the message they will be sent back is not deterring people at the moment."

Clifford earlier spoke to charity workers from Save The Children who have been talking to migrants, mainly Syrians, at a detention centre on the Greek island. Some were said to have threatened to jump overboard if they were sent back to Turkey.

Human rights groups argue the deportations break international law and mark a dark time in Europe's history.

Lucy Carrigan, from the International Rescue Committee, said: "What is missing is the focus on what the legal alternatives are - how can desperate people seeking sanctuary, who are fleeing war, find a way to Europe safely."

As each migrant was led aboard a ship, a small group of protesters outside the port in Lesbos shouted "shame on you!"

Riot police officers also boarded the boats.

Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said 500 people were expected to arrive on the first day, but Greece had only provided the names of 400.

For each migrant sent back to Turkey, officials have said a legitimate refugee will be resettled in Europe.

As the deportation process started, the first group of 16 Syrian asylum seekers arrived in Hanover, Germany, on a flight from Istanbul.

Although the first migrants to be sent back are expected to be from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, Syrians who have illegally crossed will also be expelled if they have arrived since 20 March.

Europe's politicians want expulsions to act as a deterrent from boarding the smugglers boats, but already there are signs it is not working.

In Dikili, migrants are still arriving hoping to connect with the smugglers and get to Europe.

source

EU Deal With Turkey Failing To Stem Migrant Flow

The first boats arrived earlier than expected.

Hundreds of press waited at the port to capture the pictures of the first deportees.

The EU is desperate to solve the migrant crisis and has so far come up short - it hopes its controversial deal with Turkey will stop the seemingly endless tide of desperate people appearing on Europe's shores.

But it has appeared over the last few days that both sides were unprepared for this day - tents were hastily erected on the dockside at Dikili to create a makeshift reception centre.

The first arrivals were mostly from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq.

Among their number there were a couple of Syrians, who the authorities claim decided to leave Greece voluntarily.

Under the deal the non-Syrians will be taken to a detention centre and will most likely eventually be deported to their country of origin.

The Syrians will be found places in refugee camps on the Turkey/Syrian border.

We watched as the deportees were marched down the dock.

Each one of them had a security guard or a policeman by their side.

The minder had travelled with them from Lesbos.

The first pictures of the failed asylum seekers being kicked out of Europe are symbolically important to the EU and for the success of the deal.

It hopes that other migrants thinking of crossing illegally will be deterred if they know they'll be deported as soon as they've reached dry land.

But there are already signs it's not having that effect.

We filmed 50 or so migrants from Bangladesh, who'd tried to cross illegally this morning.

They were intercepted and arrested by the Turkish coastguard.

But we have spoken to many other migrants in Turkey, who say they will continue to try to reach Europe for what they hope will be a better life.

source

'Ceasefire' After Dozens Killed In Caucasus

A ceasefire has been announced after at least 30 soldiers were killed in clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces over the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region.

News agency AFP reported that Azerbaijan announced the "unilateral" ceasefire in Karabakh on Sunday morning.

The country's defence ministry said: "Azerbaijan, showing good will, has decided to unilaterally cease hostilities."

It added, however, that it would "liberate all (Armenian) occupied territories" if Armenian forces "do not stop provocations".

But David Babayan, spokesman of the Armenia-backed separatist presidency in Karabakh, said fighting was continuing.

Armenian defence ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan also dismissed the the ceasefire claim as a "trap that does not mean a truce".

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian had earlier described the bloodshed as the "largest-scale hostilities" since a 1994 truce ended a war in which Armenian-backed fighters seized the territory from Azerbaijan.

He said 18 Armenian troops were killed and some 35 wounded in the fighting.

Azerbaijan said 12 of its soldiers were killed and one of its military helicopters was shot down.

Moscow and Western leaders had been among those calling for the ceasefire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had urged the two former Soviet states to "exercise restraint in order to prevent further casualties", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the reports of heavy fighting were "deeply worrying".

Armenia accused Azerbaijan of launching a "massive attack along the Karabakh frontline using tanks, artillery, and helicopters" on Friday night.

Azerbaijan, however, said it defended itself after coming under fire from "large-calibre artillery and grenade-launchers".

Armenian separatists, backed by the capital Yerevan, seized control of the mountainous Nagorny Karabakh region in the early 1990s war that killed 30,000 people.

The two nations have never signed a peace deal despite the 1994 ceasefire and the region is still internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

Moscow has supplied weapons to both sides, but is much closer to Armenia.

Energy-rich Azerbaijan had repeatedly threatened to take back the breakaway region by force if negotiations fail to yield results but Armenia had promised it could crush any offensive.

The last flare-up took place in November 2014 when Azerbaijan shot down an Armenian military helicopter.

source