Militancy - Why do They Persist?

When United States military had managed to kill Osama bin Laden in 2011, the world had thought that the war against militancy would soon be over.  So did Sri Lankan government when they killed off Vellupillay Prabhakaran in 2009.  And so too those who had fought against Nazi Germany, when Adolf Hitler killed himself with his wife, Eva Braun in an underground bunker just before the fall of Berlin to Soviet Russian onslaught.  Thus, when United States announced that they had managed to kill Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of ISIS / IS / Daish, they had not actually accomplish any objective but merely pushing the organisation further underground.

Phone Scam

Imagine this.  You're happily at work, or doing your chores at home, or maybe even outside.  Then suddenly your phone rings.  If you received the call from your mobile phone, you look at the number and it shows some unknown number.  Curious, you answered the call.  A machine reads out the following message, or a variation of this message.

 

SosMA - Keselamatan Negara bukan untuk Dipolitikkan

Baru-baru ini, 12 individu telah ditahan kerana dipercayai mempunyai kaitan dengan kumpulan pengganas yang dikatakan telah ditumpaskan, iaitu Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) di bawah Akta Kesalahan Keselamatan (Langkah-Langkah Khas) [Security Offences (Special Measure) Act)] yang lebih dikenali sebagai SosMA telah menimbulkan semula tuduhan bahawa akta tersebut adalah tidak berpelembagaan dan tidak berperikemanusiaan.  Daripada dua belas individu yang ditahan itu, dua orang adalah merupakan ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri di bawah Parti Tindakan Demokratik (Democratic Action Party - DAP), parti tersebut dengan cepat menaikkan isu bahawa penahanan tersebut adalah tidak berperikemanusiaan dan tidak logik kerana mereka mendakwa pergerakan tersebut telah lama tumpas, dan mereka beriya-iya membawa usul untuk membubarkan akta tersebut. 

SOSMA - National Security is not Politics

The recent arrest of 12 individuals linked to the believed to be long defunct terror organisation Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) under the Security Offences (Special Measure) Act, better known as SosMA, had reignited arguments that the law is unconstitutional and inhumane.  With 2 of their assemblymen being part of the 12 arrested, Democratic Action Party (DAP) were quick to highlight the arrests as inhumane and illogical, as they claimed that the movement is long defunct, and they were quick to trying to push to abolish the act.

Iranian-Linked Accounts Closure by Malaysian Banks - Justified?

Reuters had reported on 30 Oct 2019 that CIMB and RHB had initiated mass closure of Iranian-linked accounts maintained at their banks which had ignited a furore.  In another report by The Star, carrying news from The Straits Times on the same day, had highlighted the same action had also impacted several other nationalities, namely Algerians, Iraqis, Nigerians, Syrians, Ukrainians and Yemenis.

Death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - End of Daish?

Yesterday, apparently US Special Forces had launched an attack on a Daish-controlled facility deep inside Syria and had managed to eliminate the reclusive Daish leader.  The unnamed US Special Forces unit was said to have successfully eliminated the enigmatic leader of Daish after years of hunting the man.  Born Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri al-Samarrai, he came to prominence after Daish successfully wrestled Mosul from Iraqi Government back in July 2014.

Mugshot of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi when he was only known as Ibrahim Awad, taken when he was arrested by US Army and incarcerated at Abu Ghraib prison.

Kematian Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi - Penghujung kepada Daish?

Semalam telah dilaporkan bahawa satu unit Pasukan Khas AS telah melancarkan serangan ke atas satu fasiliti yang dikuasai oleh Daish di dalam Syria dan telah berjaya membunuh pemimpin Daish itu.  Pasukan khas AS yang belum dikenalpasti itu dikatakan telah berjaya membunuh pemimpin Daish yang penuh enigma itu setelah bertahun-tahun memburunya.  Dilahirkan sebagai Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri al-Samarrai, dia mula mendapat perhatian dunia selepas Daish berjaya merampas bandar Mosul daripada kerajaan Iraq pada Julai 2014.

Gambar Abu Bakr ketika dikenali sebagai Ibrahim Awad.  Gambar diambil ketika dia ditahan di Penjara Abu Ghraib.  Gambar kredit kepada US Army