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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Spy Chief: 15 Australian Fighters Killed in Iraq, Syria |
| 2014-08-28 |
| [AnNahar] Fifteen Australians, including two young jacket wallahs, are believed to have died fighting in Syria and Iraq, intelligence chief David Irvine said Wednesday, warning that espionage and foreign intervention threats were increasing. Canberra has expressed alarm that around 60 Australians have joined violent jihadist groups such as Islamic State (IS) overseas. One Islamic State fighter, Australian man Khaled Sharrouf, sparked outrage when an image of his Sydney-raised son posing with the rotting head of a Syrian soldier was reportedly posted on Twitter. "The draw of imported muscle to Syria and Iraq is significant and includes more Australians than any other previous myrmidon conflicts put together," Irvine said. He said the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) believed the number of citizens posing a potential security threat had increased substantially as a result. "ASIO believes there are about 60 or so Australians fighting with the two principal myrmidon al-Qaeda derivatives, Jahabat-al-Nusra and the Islamic State in Syria or Iraq," Irvine said. "We believe 15 Australians have already been killed in the current conflicts, including two young Australian suicide bombers." Irvine said 100 more people in Australia were "actively supporting" these myrmidon groups by recruiting new fighters, grooming suicide kaboom candidates, and providing funds and equipment. Australia has boosted its efforts to counter terrorism on fears that the bloody conflicts in Iraq and Syria are creating a new generation of turbans, including increasing spending on security and intelligence and strengthening terror laws. Irvine said intelligence agencies were concerned about the dangers posed when some of these people -- potentially with a commitment to violence and training in the use of weapons or bomb-making -- returned to Australia. He also warned that the age-old threats of espionage and foreign interference were on the rise against Australia. "I can say that we are seeing growth in espionage and foreign interference against Australia, both through cyber and more traditional methods," he said. "Further, the threat to government information from self motivated malicious insiders has increased." Asked about the killing of United States journalist James Foley, beheaded on a graphic video posted online last week, Irvine said he had no view on whether media outlets should have shown the footage. But he added: "It has, whether you liked it or not... brought home to us an understanding of the nature of what we are dealing with." |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #6 if anyone wants to check these truly evil laws they are bundled up in one piece of legislation set to go before parliament National Security Amendment Bill (No.1) 2014 You can see it on the government's website. it is full of horrors that would destroy Australia's fragile democracy |
| Posted by: anon1 2014-08-28 09:59 |
| #5 if anyone wants to check these truly evil laws they are bundled up in one piece of legislation set to go before parliament National Security Amendment Bill (No.1) 2014 You can see it on the government's website. it is full of horrors that would destroy Australia's fragile democracy |
| Posted by: anon1 2014-08-28 09:59 |
| #4 also the reason asio are now releasing all the data they usually hold secret is so they can steamroll legislation through parliament to give them ultimate power: immunity from prosecution when they break the law, no need to apply for warrants when they want to track people, the power to hack everyone's computer and alter and tamper with data inside |
| Posted by: anon1 2014-08-28 09:56 |
| #3 it is a national disgrace that we have sacrificed everything on the altar of multiculturalism do you know that our government only has 19 groups on the banned terror list? see it here So the government and intelligence community and attorney generals office have not been doing their jobs. They have not been defending the country against Islamist fascism. they haven't even put Hizb-ut-Tahrir on the banned list. they also have been refusing to draw a firm line in the sand of multiculturalism They have not said clearly to the multicultural lobby and the leftards and the Muslim community: we won't tolerate Islamism so leave the country if you want to live under sharia law they haven't done this. instead they pandered to them: join team australia they said. they criminalised free speech instead. and now the intelligence community and aforementioned attorney generals office want to seize powers nobody should have in a western democracy they want immunity from prosecution when they intentionally break the law, even though there is no effective independent oversight body for them. no watchdog. they want this not just for themselves but for affiliates. they want to force courts to accept illegally obtained evidence. all because of multiculturalism gone wild. none of those Islamist fighters should be let back in the country - if they are immigrants with dual citizens then revoke their aussie citizenship. if these aussie jihadis were born in australia then make sure no foreign born family members are given citizenship or visas. Make sure they are denied visas to travel unless they drop their religion. and on their return lock them in prison 20 years no parole if they can be shown to have been fighting with Islamists. |
| Posted by: anon1 2014-08-28 09:55 |
| #2 15 Australian passport holders. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2014-08-28 09:01 |
| #1 Canberra has expressed alarm that around 60 Australians have joined violent jihadist groups such as Islamic State (IS) overseas. A sizeable reduction. Let the harvest continue. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-08-28 08:52 |