Moscow concert hall attack: Why is ISIL targeting Russia?
Related:
1. The Beslan schoolhouse massacre,
The deadliest terror attack in modern Russia’s history led to the deaths of 334 hostages, more than half children.
The 2010 Moscow Metro bombings were suicide bombings carried out by two female Islamic terrorists during the morning rush hour of March 29, 2010, at two stations of the Moscow Metro . At least 40 people were killed, and over 100 injured.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Eleven people had been detained, including four people directly involved in the armed assault, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
ISIL’s Afghan branch – also known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K) – has claimed responsibility for the attack and United States officials have confirmed the authenticity of that claim, according to the Reuters news agency.
Here is what we know about the group and their possible motive for the Moscow attack.
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- Moscow concert hall attack: What do we know so far?
More than 133 people have been killed and more than 100 others were injured following a brazen attack on concertgoers at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall before a performance by a Soviet-era rock band on Friday.
Assailants dressed in camouflage uniforms opened fire and reportedly threw explosive devices inside the concert venue, which was left in flames with its roof collapsing after the deadly attack.
ISIL’s Afghanistan branch
The group remains one of the most active affiliates of ISIL and takes its title from an ancient caliphate in the region that once encompassed areas of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan.
The group emerged from eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and was made up of breakaway fighters of the Pakistan Taliban and local fighters who pledged allegiance to the late ISIL leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi .
The group has since established a fearsome reputation for acts of brutality.
Murat Aslan, a military analyst and former Turkish army colonel, said ISIL’s Afghanistan affiliate is known for its “radical and tough methodologies”.
“I think their ideology inspires them in terms of selecting targets. First of all, Russia is in Syria and fighting against Daesh [ISIL] like the United States. That means they see such countries as hostile,” Aslan told Al Jazeera.
“They are now in Moscow. Previously they were in Iran, and we will see much more attacks, maybe in other capitals,” he added.
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ISIL’s Afghan branch – also known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K) – has claimed responsibility for the attack and United States officials have confirmed the authenticity of that claim, according to the Reuters news agency.
Here's what the abbreviations re: "The Islamic State" mean:
ISIS = "Islamic State in Syria"
ISIL = " Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant "
ISIS-K, ISKP, or "Islamic State in Khorasan Province" = Islamic State in Afghanistan
Daesh = Egyptians are very proud of their history, and in ancient times there was a major Egyptian diety called Isis-- some of course they didn't want that name to be confused with the modern islamist terror group ISIS. So they refer to it as Daesh!
These Islamist groups have a fairly large affiliate in Africa (I forget offhand what new label they now use, but the Nigerian Islamist terror group was called "Boko Haram".
Unimportant but interesting: "Haram" in Arabic means "forbidden". It applies to actions, objects-- even food. "Halal" is the opposite of "Haram".
Food that is acceptable to devout Muslims is called "Halal" -- its meaning is roughly equivalent to to the Jewish/Hebrew concept of "Kosher".
Thanks, I was getting confused !
Meanwhile, back to the actual topic here;
ISIL’s Afghan branch – also known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K) – has claimed responsibility for the attack and United States officials have confirmed the authenticity of that claim.
So why did this Middle eastern group launch an attsack in Russia of all places?
“I think their ideology inspires them in terms of selecting targets. First of all, Russia is in Syria and fighting against Daesh [ISIL] like the United States. That means they see such countries as hostile,” Aslan told Al Jazeera.
Then the USA is another potential target. I hope the Americans are more prepared for the possibility than they were on 9/11. I wonder what Rashida Tlaib has to say about THIS lovely bit from her Muslim brothers - if she can be supportive of Hamas terrorists she can be supportive of ISIS-K terrorists as well.
I hope so too.
But even if we are, it seems some terrorists still suceed:
The Boston Marathon bombing, sometimes referred to as just simply the Boston bombing,[4] was a domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs that detonated near the finish line of the race 14 seconds and 210 yards (190 m) apart. Three people were killed and hundreds injured, including 17 who lost limbs
And of course there was The Pulse Nightclub Attack:
On June 12, 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States before Orlando Police officers fatally shot him after a three-hour standoff.
In a 9-1-1 call made shortly after the shooting began, Mateen swore allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
(I;m wondering what, if anything, the "Queers for Palestine" have said about that?
Considering Tlaib hates America and it's policies I feel pretty certain she will not have a problem with it and neither will her voter base.
ISIL’s Afghanistan branch
The group remains one of the most active affiliates of ISIL and takes its title from an ancient caliphate in the region that once encompassed areas of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan.
The group emerged from eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and was made up of breakaway fighters of the Pakistan Taliban and local fighters who pledged allegiance to the late ISIL leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi .
The group has since established a fearsome reputation for acts of brutality.
Murat Aslan, a military analyst and former Turkish army colonel, said ISIL’s Afghanistan affiliate is known for its “radical and tough methodologies”.
Pootie is between a rock and a hard place, and they just reelected the asshole. The Russian people must be getting restless.
Putin must now realise he’s been fighting the wrong war (msn.com)
I can see by this attack just how well strict gum control works.
What the hell does "gum" have to do with it !
Not much-- after all it can be a pretty sticky topic!
That's all you got to come back with? It is obviously a typo. Do I really need to tell you I meant gun. But I guess when you got nothing you grasp whatever straw you can.
Do you have a problem taking a joke? Some of us on this site actually enjoy having some fun here.
Gum control is when you fall asleep with a wad of gum in your mouth but you don't swallow it.
They claim to have been paid. Does that mean mercenary terrorists are a thing now?
Terrorists do it for different reasons.
Some are motivated by extreme political or religious views. But there have always been those who do it for money.
There used to be a magazine called Soldier of Fortune. Among other things-- it was actually used for recruiting mercenaries, sometimes terrorists, etc. (Although there were many people, probably the majority, who read it just for the stories of "adventures".
I was wondering if it is still published, googled it and found this:
I don't care what their reasons are. A terrorist is a terrorist period. The only good terrorist is a dead terrorist.
What is your definition of a terrorist ?