LONDON: The fall of the Western-backed Afghan government could inspire radicalized youth in countries such as Britain to conduct terror attacks, sources in the security services have said.
Security experts said it is likely that Afghanistan will see a Taliban government “of some sort” within the next six months, which would provide a rallying cry for extremists based in the West as they look for new inspiration following the fall of Daesh.
Security analysts have raised concerns that the power vacuum created by the resurgent Taliban could lead to young extremists surging to Afghanistan or opting to conduct terror attacks at home.
Ken McCallum, director-general of MI5 — Britain’s homeland security agency — said it is “likely” that terror groups in the UK will seek to benefit from a rising Taliban in Afghanistan to radicalize and inspire others.
“It must surely be likely that extremist groups of various sorts, including UK-based groupings who have no meaningful connection themselves to Afghanistan, will seek to portray this to potential people they’re trying to recruit or radicalize, as a victory for extremist Islam,” he added. “Extremists will seek to take propaganda advantage from the situation in Afghanistan.”
McCallum warned that the “inspired” effect from changing circumstances in Afghanistan poses “at least as much of a challenge” as the “directed” threat, which includes terror cells being ordered to conduct attacks.
UK security services issue warning over terror threat from Afghan collapse
https://arab.news/ra3ja
UK security services issue warning over terror threat from Afghan collapse
- Security experts said it is likely that Afghanistan will see Taliban government “of some sort” within six months
- Fears raised that rise of Taliban could inspire radicals in West
Putin ready to ‘help resolve’ Iran nuclear stand-off
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that abandoning uranium enrichment was “100 percent” against the country’s interests
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump that he was ready to use Russia’s close partnership with Iran to help with negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, the Kremlin said.
Trump said after a phone call with Putin that time was running out for Iran to make a decision on its nuclear program and that he believed Putin agreed that Iran should not have nuclear weapons.
Putin, according to Trump, suggested that he participate in the discussions with Iran and that “he could, perhaps, help get this brought to a rapid conclusion,” though Iran was “slowwalking.”
“We have close partner relations with Tehran and, naturally, President Putin said that we are ready to use this level of partnership with Tehran in order to facilitate and contribute to the negotiations that are taking place to resolve the issue of the Iranian nuclear dossier,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
Asked when Putin could join the negotiations, Peskov said that dialogue with Tehran and Washington continued through various channels.
“The president will be able to get involved when necessary,” Peskov said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that abandoning uranium enrichment was “100 percent” against the country’s interests, rejecting a central US demand in talks to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
The US proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman, which mediated talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
After five rounds of talks, several hard-to-bridge issues remain, including Iran’s insistence on maintaining uranium enrichment on its soil and Tehran’s refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium — possible raw material for nuclear bombs.
Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state, said nothing about halting the talks, but said the US proposal contradicts Iran’s belief in self-reliance and the principle of “We Can.”
Majority of Labour Party’s Muslim representatives unhappy with UK government’s Gaza policy
- Survey finds 82% of Muslim MPs, councillors and mayors belonging to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s party think his handling of conflict is ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ bad
- Almost all of those polled want immediate, official UK recognition of the State of Palestinian
LONDON: Muslim political representatives who belong to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party are overwhelmingly unhappy with the British government’s approach to the war in Gaza, a survey reveals.
The study by the Labour Muslim Network found that 82 percent of the Muslim MPs, councillors and mayors that were polled described Starmer’s handling of the conflict as “fairly bad” or “very bad.”
Three‐quarters supported the suspension of all UK arms exports to Israel, and nearly all of the respondents backed immediate, official recognition by the UK of the State of Palestine. More than 80 percent favored sanctions on Israel.
The results of the survey will add to the pressure on Starmer over the issue, with large sections of his party increasingly voicing anger over the UK’s lack of action against Israel over the war in Gaza.
In recent weeks the prime minister has stepped up his criticism of the Israeli military campaign in the territory, which has killed more than 54,000 people since October 2023. The UK last month joined France and Canada in calling on Israel to end the fighting and resume deliveries of humanitarian aid. All three countries threatened “concrete measures” if Israel failed to halt the slaughter. Britain also paused negotiations with Israeli authorities for a free-trade agreement.
In September 2024, the UK suspended 30 of 350 export licenses to Israel for weapons used in military operations in Gaza, after a review of Israeli compliance with international humanitarian law.
However, many members on the left wing of the Labour Party want much stronger action, including an end to all arms sales and tougher sanctions. There have also been growing demands for the UK to join the majority of UN member states in officially recognizing the Palestinian sate.
The issue of the war in Gaza featured heavily during campaigning for the UK parliamentary elections last year, and independent candidates running on pro-Palestinian platforms took five seats from Labour.
There are 25 Muslim MPs in the UK Parliament, 19 of whom belong to the Labour Party. The survey was sent to 477 party members who are elected representatives, and 221 responded.
In addition to the dissatisfaction with Labour’s policy on Gaza, many voiced concern about discrimination within their own party.
Two-thirds said they were not treated equally to other Labour representatives, and more than a half said they did not believe the party takes Islamophobia seriously enough.
In its report on the survey results, the Labour Muslim Network said the figures “tell the story of a growing chasm between the Labour Party and its Muslim representatives.”
It added: “The party must urgently address the structural issues identified in this report or face the moral and political consequences to come.”
A Labour spokesperson told The Guardian newspaper: “The Labour Party is proud of the diversity of our party, including the increase in the number of Muslim MPs in the parliamentary Labour party and having the first Muslim lord chancellor in Shabana Mahmood, and the first Muslim mayor of London in Sadiq Khan.
“We take any complaints of discrimination, including Islamophobia, seriously.”
Chairman of hard-right Reform UK party Zia Yusuf quits
- Announcement came after he criticized party’s newest MP for asking PM Starmer whether he would ban burqas in UK
- Resignation hints at unrest in arch-Euroskeptic Nigel Farage’s party
LONDON: The chairman of Britain’s hard-right Reform UK party quit on Thursday, saying that trying to get the upstarts elected to government was no longer “a good use of my time.”
Zia Yusuf’s announcement came after he criticized the party’s newest MP for asking Prime Minister Keir Starmer whether he would ban the wearing of burqas in the UK.
The resignation hints at unrest in arch-Euroskeptic Nigel Farage’s party, which has already lost one MP since it secured a breakthrough result at last July’s general election.
“Eleven months ago I became chairman of Reform. I’ve worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30 percent (voter support), quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results,” Yusuf wrote on X.
“I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office,” he added.
Earlier, the 38-year-old had slammed Sarah Pochin, who was elected in a by-election last month, for her question to Starmer on Wednesday.
“I do think it’s dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn’t do,” Yusuf wrote on X.
He became chairman in July last year, shortly after Reform won 14 percent of the vote and five seats in parliament — an unprecedented haul for a hard-right group in a British general election.
Yusuf was tasked with professionalizing the group’s grassroots operations and training up candidates ahead of what Farage has said will be a major challenge to Starmer’s Labour party at the next general election, likely in 2029.
Anti-immigrant Reform has consistently led national opinion polls for several weeks now and won hundreds of councillors at local polls on May 1.
Farage said he was “genuinely sorry” that Yusuf had decided to stand down, but some analysts saw it as another example of the charismatic Brexit cheerleader falling out with a senior figure in his party.
“It’s like deja vu all over again,” political scientist Tim Bale wrote on X, citing Farage’s previous leadership of UKIP and the Brexit Party.
“No-one but no-one gets to be bigger than big Nige,” added the Queen Mary University of London politics professor.
Last month, former Reform lawmaker Rupert Lowe called Farage a “viper” after his dramatic suspension from the party over claims he had threatened Yusuf.
Prosecutors did not charge Lowe, citing “insufficient evidence.”
Beautiful Rajanpuri Nukra goats highly prized, and costly, at Islamabad’s Eid market
- South Punjab natives are large, muscular, with striking white coats
- Popular for meat, Eid Al-Adha sacrifices, some sell for over $7,000
ISLAMABAD: With their snow-white coats, drooping pink ears and regal build, Rajanpuri Nukra goats are turning heads and emptying wallets at Islamabad’s bustling Eid Al-Adha cattle market this year.
A strain of the Beetal goat native to the Rajanpur region of Pakistan’s Punjab province, they are also known for their large size and muscular build.
Highly prized for their meat, and a popular choice for Eid Al-Adha sacrifices, some have sold for as much as Rs2 million ($7,140) this season.
At Islamabad’s cattle market on Bhatta Chowk earlier this week, many people gathered around the goats to admire their appearance and snap pictures, while others negotiated deals.
“We have come here from Rajanpur as people in Islamabad and Rawalpindi prefer Rajanpuri goats over other breeds due to their white and pink coloration and impressive height,” said merchant Hamza Ali.
He added that he had brought 20 of the prized animals to the market and sold most of them within four days.
“We’re getting good prices for them here. Of the 20 goats we brought, one sold for Rs2 million last night.”
Traders at the market have been selling the Rajanpuri goats for anywhere between $715 and $7,140, several merchants said.
Highlighting the care involved, Muhammad Umair, a cattle trader, said the goats are nurtured from birth, referring to them as a “purebred line.”
“We divide them into two groups. Those with good height and large size receive a special diet that includes wanda, choker, desi ghee and other nutritious ingredients,” he told Arab News as he petted one of his animals.
Goats similar in size to regular breeds are available at lower prices but still higher than other strains.
“It has large pink ears, white eyes, and a pink nose, along with a pure white coat, which makes it highly attractive to buyers,” Umair added.
Muhammad Bilal, a 23-year-old student from Islamabad, said he wanted to buy a Rajanpuri goat because of its white coat and long ears.
“Although the price is a bit higher, we will still buy it because we really like it,” he told Arab News.
Another customer Ilyas Khan, 40, expressed frustration over the high prices, saying they were unaffordable for most market visitors.
“My children took pictures with them,” Khan, a businessman, said. “But these are out of our reach as even the smallest ones are starting at Rs150,000, which is too much.”
Reform UK chief slams MP’s calls for burqa ban as ‘dumb’
- Question prompts public criticism from party’s chairman
LONDON: A row has erupted within the right-wing British party Reform UK after its newest member of Parliament, Sarah Pochin, used her maiden question during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday to call for a nationwide ban on the burqa, it was reported on Thursday.
The question prompted public criticism from Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s chairman, who rebuked the move, calling it a “dumb” question.
Pochin, who recently won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, asked Prime Minister Keir Starmer whether the UK would follow European nations such as France, Belgium, and Denmark in banning the burqa “in the interests of public safety.”
Her remarks were met with audible disapproval from some MPs, with cries of “shame” heard in the chamber of the House of Commons.
Lee Anderson, Reform UK’s chief whip, expressed support for Pochin’s suggestion, saying: “Ban the burqa? Yes we should. No one should be allowed to hide their identity in public.”
However, Yusuf was less than supportive, writing on X: “Nothing to do with me. Had no idea about the question, nor that it wasn’t policy. I do think it’s dumb for a party to ask the PM if they would do something the party itself wouldn’t do.”
A Reform spokesperson later clarified that Yusuf had not been criticizing Pochin personally, but highlighting the inconsistency of raising a proposal not endorsed by the party.
The spokesperson reiterated that a burqa ban was not official Reform UK policy but acknowledged it was an issue that “deserves national debate.”
Nigel Farage, Reform UK’s leader, speaking on GB News, was more cautious and distanced himself from an outright endorsement, but suggested public discomfort around face coverings warranted discussion.
He said: “I don’t think face coverings in public places make sense, and I think we do deserve a debate about that, of which I see the burqa as being a part.”
Pochin, a former Conservative councillor, later suggested her question had been sourced from public suggestions submitted online. “Thank you to everyone who sent in questions for the prime minister,” she posted.
The incident has reignited concerns about internal divisions within Reform UK. It comes just months after former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe was expelled from the party following a falling out with both Yusuf and Farage.
Lowe, who has expressed hardline views on immigration and has backed calls to ban the burqa, now sits as an independent.
Reform has also been plagued by tension at the grassroots level. Following the recent local elections, Donna Edmunds, a Shropshire councillor, resigned from the party in protest, describing Farage as a “terrible leader” and warning that he “must never be prime minister.”
Amid the latest fallout, a Labour spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage could fit all of his MPs in the back of a cab, yet he can’t stop them fighting among themselves.”
Reform UK and Sarah Pochin were approached by the BBC, The Guardian, and The Independent for further comment.
