Blessing Okagbare makes double blessing of gold

Blessing Okagbare made history for Nigeria yesterday by lifting the gold medal in the female 200 metres event of the XX Commonwealth Games, Glasgow 2014, bringing the country’s total medals haul to 25 at the time of filing this report.
Okagbare had won the 100 metres event, setting a new Commonwealth Games record. In the 200metres she won with a time of 22.25 slowing down at the finish line.
Born October 9, 1988, Okagbare specializes in long jump and short sprints. She is an Olympic and World Championships medalist in the long jump, and a world medallist in the 200 metres. She also holds the Women’s 100m Commonwealth Games record for the fastest time at 10.85 seconds. Her 100m best of 10.79 makes her the African record holder for the event. She was the African 100m and long jump champion in 2010. She has also won medals at the All-Africa Games and the IAAF Continental Cup.
At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Okagbare won the silver medal in the long jump. Her jump of 6.99m put her in second place behind Brittney Reese of the United States by only two centimetres. In the 100m final, she placed sixth with a run of 11.04 secs and also placed third in the 200m race.
Judging from the success recorded so far, Chef de Mission and chairman of the National Sport Commission (NSC), Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye has described Team Nigeria as a strong force in World sport.
Elegbeleye was reacting to the sterling performance of Team Nigeria at the ongoing XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Odunayo Adekuoreye and Aminat Adeniyi won gold medals in Wrestling while Superwoman Maryam Usman lifted Nigeria’s name to high heavens with her golden lift.
‘’These things are made possible by the love and support of President Ebele Goodluck Jonathan. He has been the backbone of sports and we are happy to be churning out these good results’’, a jubilant Elegbeleye said.
He opined that the sky still looks good for more medals to come the way of Team Nigeria before the Games curtains are drawn on Sunday.
Nigeria now has eight gold, six silver and 11 bronze medals.
Ese Brume also gave Nigeria a gold medal yesterday in the long jump event with a 6:56m jump.

Abba Suleiman Is New IGP

The Nigeria Police Council yesterday confirmed the appointment of Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Abba Suleiman as the acting Inspector general of Police. If confirmed, he will become the 17th IGP.
The appointment of Abba comes on the heels of the retirement of former IGP Mohammed Abubakar whose tenure expired yesterday.
Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, who confirmed this last night in a statement, said Abba’s appointment as IGP takes effect from today, August 1, while the outgoing IGP, Mohammed Abubakar, is to proceed on statutory retirement.
The statement made available to LEADERSHIP Friday reads: “The incoming Inspector-General, a lawyer, hails from Jigawa State and is an alumnus of the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies ((NIPSS).”
Suleiman was the AIG in charge of Zone 7, comprising Abuja, Kaduna and Niger states.
According to the statement, positions previously held by him in the police include: Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, FCT Command, Deputy Force Secretary and Commissioner of Police, Rivers State.
The outgoing IGP and the incoming IGP were at the presidential villa where they met with the president immediately after the Council of State meeting. When they came out, the new IGP declined to speak to journalists. He simply said, “Let’s not jump the gun”.
Abubakar told journalists after meeting with the president that he was grateful to Nigerians and the president for giving him the opportunity to serve the country for 35 years.
Congratulatory messages have started to pour in for the new IGP who may be sworn in today.

How FG saved ex-Head of State from assassination by Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (retd)

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (retd) has revealed how the Federal Government saved former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari from being killed in a bomb explosion involving the chieftain of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) last week in Kaduna.In a statement issued yesterday, Colonel Umar said the bomber would have killed Buhari if not for the security that the Federal Government had beefed up around the former Head of State some days before the bomb attacks because of his (Buhari) comment on how to solve insurgency crisis.The former governor of Kaduna State said it was worrisome  and unkind for Buhari’s supporters to begin to accuse the Federal Government of wanting to kill him through bomb blast, stressing that such allegations could have negative effect on  peace and unity of the country, “which is currently under severe stress”.

Colonel Umar said: “When about four months ago, General Muhammadu Buhari issued a statement condemning the activities of Boko Haram, the Presidency praised him for what it saw as an act of courage and statesmanship.

“Some of us agreed and welcomed this reaction particularly because it would have the positive effect of building the much-needed consensus in the war against insurgency. We were also delighted by General Buhari’s action because it provided another evidence, if any was needed, that he was not a religious bigot, and like most northerners, did not share or support any terrorist religious ideology.

“However, fearing the usual Boko Haram’s reprisal, we advised the Federal Government to beef up security around the General. The FG agreed and reached out to General Buhari with this proposal. By mutual consent, his security was upgraded. I have no doubt that this must have contributed to his survival of the attack.

“The point then is, how can a government that is intent on assassinating the General provide him with added security? It would have been most strange indeed for a government planning to assassinate this very popular northern icon to retain as its National Security Adviser, Colonel M.S.Dasuki, son of the Sultan of Sokoto and his brother-in –law, General Aliyu Gusau as its Minister of Defence, or even its Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar from Zamfara State.

“Not entirely satisfied with what was published from my earlier press release, I decided to discuss this issue with my friend and brother, Basorun Akin Osuntokun. He offered to carry some of the details in his Thisday Friday column-which he did.

“I have since learned that the bullet proof vehicle in which General Buhari was riding at the time of the attack, was provided to him by an APC chieftain, possibly an APC governor. My reaction to this is that it does not detract from the fact that the Federal Government indeed reinforced the General’s security about four months ago. Bullet proof vehicle is only a component of the security infrastructure. General Buhari himself was reported to have told Sahara TV “I am not bothered by them (Boko Haram) targeting me. The government has given me adequate protection.

“When on Wednesday, July 23, 2014 some yet to be identified persons attacked the convoy of General Muhammadu Buhari with a car bomb, some of his supporters or his representatives as one of them claimed on BBC radio Hausa service accused the Federal Government of complicity. This was even before investigations commenced.

“I was concerned and worried by possible dangerous repercussions of such allegations on the peace and unity of the country, which is currently under severe stress. I therefore, decided not only to condemn their actions, but also to adduce evidence to counter their wrong and preposterous allegations. Unfortunately my press statement, which was published, did not entirely include most of the points I raised in my rebuttal. To avoid misrepresentation and misunderstanding, I find it necessary to issue this clarification.

“Once again, I appeal to our political elite to desist from politics of brinkmanship all aimed at achieving their narrow political interests. They need not be reminded that a violent disintegration of Nigeria would be an ill wind that will blow nobody any good, as my brother Akin would say,”  Col. Umar said.

FG steps in to rid Apapa of traffic jam

 The Federal Government said it has taken steps to tackle the traffic gridlock, which has bedevilled the Apapa area of Lagos in the last five weeks. The Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, commended the Nigerian Navy and other maritime stakeholders and security agencies for ensuring free flow of traffic in the Apapa area.He said: “There is a significant improvement in terms of vehicular movement in and out of the port and that is largely due to the effort of the Nigerian Navy and I am happy that they have also engaged all the stakeholders, because sometimes when you do a solo effort, you run into some difficulty, but because it is a joint effort, things went on smoothly.”

He explained that ensuring free flow of traffic within the Apapa area was one of the messages  the Federal Government adopted to  check the  threats by Boko Haram insurgents. He said security threat was the main reason the Nigerian Navy was getting involved in clearing the traffic gridlock in the Apapa area.

Senator Obanikoro dismissed the claim by the Lagos State government that the Federal Government was the cause of the gridlock in the Apapa area, saying: “Sometimes, blame game doesn’t solve issues and I want to commend the head of our team in the Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Alade for bringing stakeholders together to resolve the traffic problems in Apapa. This has further enhanced the sense in partnership. I am not going to join Lagos State in the blame game, what is important for me is my responsibility to the good people of Lagos State . I implore Lagos State government to join hands with the Nigerian Ports Authority to find a lasting solution to this problem.”

The Nigerian Navy had a fortnight ago taken steps to clear the traffic jam in the Apapa area for easy entry and exit.

The navy said it had deployed a sizable number of its officers and men to work along with other security agencies to ensure free flow of vehicular movement.

Speaking with journalists yesterday, the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ilesanmi Alade, said the operations earlier launched to rid the area of the unending traffic jam were continuing.

He said the areas where the force would deploy its personnel included Mile 2, Berger up to Tincan Island, Ijora, Liverpool, Marine Beach and all the adjourning roads leading to Apapa.

He said vehicles that deliberately blocked the road and prevent-ed easy flow of traffic would be towed, adding that the Ni-gerian Navy was working with officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) to ensure obstruc-tions on the roads leading to Apapa were removed.

He said the operations to rid Apapa of gridlock would be sustained in the first instance for seven days.

New IGP: Jonathan, Police council settle for Suleiman Abba

AIG aba

ABUJA — Indications emerged, yesterday, in Abuja, that President Goodluck Jonathan and the Police council made up of the 36 state governors and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mike Mbama Okiro (IGP, rtd) have settled for the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 7, Mr. Suleiman Abba as the next Inspector General of Police when incumbent, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar retires tomorrow after attaining the mandatory 35 years in service.
It was gathered that the authority settled for AIG Abba following convincing arguments that the leadership of the nation’s security forces will be concentrated in a particular zone of the country should the new IG be appointed from the list of names earlier submitted to the President.

Sources told Vanguard that President Jonathan was also under pressure by the North, who insisted that appointing the next IGP from the South-South geopolitical zone would be counter-productive, especially with the security challenges facing the nation.

They argued that with the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General K. T. J. Minimah from South-South, Police Service Commission Chairman, Okiro from the South-South, an IGP from same zone would have been interpreted to mean deliberate ploy to use security forces to clamp down on the opposition expected from the North in the 2015 elections.

Five senior officers were said to have been considered as the new IGP and they include one Deputy Inspector General of Police from South-South, another DIG from North West, and three AIG’s, from North West, South –South and North Central zones.

During debates at the meeting for a new police boss, a group argued that Abba’s appointment will amount to favouring a particular zone since he is from the zone as his predecessor as well as former IGP Hafiz Ringim.

Another group, however, countered that during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former IGP Tafa Balogun and the Chief of Air Staff then came from the same zone. Eventually, everybody agreed on the choice of AIG Suleiman Abba as the new IGP.

Abba had served as the Commissioner of Police in charge Rivers State, Deputy Force Sec, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Deputy Force Sec), Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of State CID, FCT Police Command.

He was also ADC to Mrs. Abacha during the tenure of General Sani Abacha as military head state.

The incumbent IGP Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, whose tenure expires tomorrow, July 31, 2014, was appointed the 16th indigenous IGP in January 2012.

Vanguard was further informed that President Jonathan feels comfortable with the AIG zone 7, Suleiman Abba, having worked with him in Abuja for almost two years now. Abba is an alumnus of the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPPS, Kuru.

The new IG will be announced today after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided by President Jonathan.

Why Jonathan will win the 2015 elections by a landslide by Femi Aribisala

However, in the case of Nigeria, my contention is that the re-election of Jonathan in 2015 is going to be easy. Jonathan will defeat his APC challenger convincingly. He is also likely to obtain the requisite one third of the votes in virtually every state of the federation.

Goodluck Jonathan is currently the only presidential candidate in Nigeria. The others are nowhere to be found.

I have been a student of elections for 42 years. I obtained my first degree in History and Politics from Warwick University, Coventry, England in 1975. In my second year at Warwick, I obtained a scholarship to visit the United States to study the circumstances behind the 1973 election of Maynard Jackson as the first African-American Mayor of Atlanta, and of a major Southern metropolis in the United States since the American Civil War.

Since then, I have been fascinated by elections. Unfortunately, Nigeria remained under military rule for an inordinate length of time. The most fascinating election I have ever observed was the first election of Barack Obama as the first African-American president of the United States in 2008. Obama secured the nomination of the Democratic Party against the formidable Hilary Clinton; and he then went on to defeat the Republican nominee, John McCain, in the general election.

Anticlimax

Obama’s 2007/2008 election campaign has since become a textbook-case of outstanding political strategizing in the United States. His superior tactics ensured that his victory quickly became inevitable, even against all the odds. Therefore, some of us were able to call his nomination as Democratic Party candidate and election as president very early; to the discomfiture of doubting Thomases who could not imagine a black U.S. president in their lifetime.

The forthcoming 2015 presidential election in Nigeria is another election that has become easy to predict, but for different reasons. Yes, it is a much ballyhooed election, especially since the emergence of the All Progressives Congress. However, the APC has turned out to be a newspaper political party and nothing more. Its novelty has long died down and a new harsh and dismal political reality now confronts it.

As a result, the 2015 election is not likely to live up to its hype. As a matter of fact, all the evidence now indicates the election will be a cakewalk for the PDP. Goodluck Jonathan will not only be re-elected as president, he will be re-elected by a landslide.

PDP failure

Ordinarily, the forthcoming election should be a problematic one for Goodluck Jonathan. After 15 years, Nigerians are generally fed up with the PDP. 15 years is more than enough time to change drastically the electrical power situation in the country. But this has yet to happen to any appreciable degree.

One year is more than sufficient to make a big impact on the problem of corruption in Nigeria. Again, this has not happened in 15 years. The security situation in the country is now critical and is likely to get much worse before it gets better. 219 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls are still missing, with only dubious promissory notes offered by the president for their imminent rescue.

For these and other reasons, the 2015 presidential elections should be a difficult one for Goodluck Jonathan. When the Iranians held American diplomats hostage under the regime of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, it led to the defeat of incumbent President Jimmy Carter in the United States presidential elections of 1980.

However, in the case of Nigeria, my contention is that the re-election of Jonathan in 2015 is going to be easy. Jonathan will defeat his APC challenger convincingly. He is also likely to obtain the requisite one third of the votes in virtually every state of the federation.

Shambolic opposition

The main reason for this conclusion is that Jonathan is facing a shambolic APC opposition that does not seem to have a clue about what it takes to run an effective national presidential campaign. This explains why, till date, Jonathan is still the only candidate running for the presidency. Although he has yet to declare his candidacy officially, even a three year-old Nigerian child knows he will be the PDP candidate.

However, his APC challenger remains unknown. It is incredible that barely six months to an election where the opposition hopes to unseat a president who has been in office for nearly six years, the APC bigwigs have yet to agree on who will be his challenger. Moreover, the INEC timetable favours the PDP as opposed to the APC. By decreeing that the party primaries for the presidential elections must wait until October 2014, and the campaigns must not start until November, INEC has created a situation where Jonathan has become virtually the only candidate. Just by being president, he is already campaigning and running for re-election.

This means there is now insufficient time to socialize Nigerians about the APC candidate. The only opposition candidates that need no national introduction are Buhari, Atiku and Tinubu. But the candidacies of these men are dead in the water. Buhari and Atiku have contested the presidency in the past and failed woefully. Should they try again, they will fail again.

Tinubu’s candidacy is a nonstarter, given Obasanjo’s recent eight-year representation of the South-West in Aso Rock. This leaves the APC with no candidates of note to field against Jonathan. The only realistic APC candidate at this eleventh hour can only be a national nonentity; and among the non-entities, I include men like Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano. An APC nonentity cannot prevail against Jonathan and the PDP juggernaut.

Shallow party-structure

The only party that can field a nonentity and still win the presidential election in Nigeria is the PDP. This is because it is the only longstanding national party in Nigeria and, unlike the APC; it has been in power for 15 years. That means the PDP has firm roots nationwide. But the APC only has roots in the South-West, and even there, this is beginning to unravel; as the recent elections in Ondo and Ekiti indicate.

Buhari is very popular in the North, but he is hopeless at building party-structures. Virtually every party Buhari built imploded. Buhari is a one-man party. This is not very useful in an election where Buhari himself is not a viable APC presidential candidate. The APC has excited itself as a result of the defection of some five PDP governors to its ranks. But this is also not very useful because these governors could not defect with their PDP party-structures.

The defector PDP governors have brought a great deal of publicity to the APC. But whatever assets they had to offer has long fizzled out. A testament to this is the ease with which Murtala Nyako was impeached as governor of Adamawa State. With all the noise Nyako was making, it was easy to forget that he had no roots on the ground. It was all smoke and mirrors that did not go beyond newspaper headlines.

No game-plan

Where then is the APC taking the fight to the formidable PDP? Literally nowhere at the moment! The APC peaked too early. As a matter of fact, it is the party now in retreat virtually everywhere. It lost to the PDP in Ondo and Ekiti, part of its South-West stronghold. Nyako of Adamawa has been impeached. Al-Makura of Nasarawa is on the ropes. Other APC governors are under threat of impeachment, but no such threat hangs over the head of any PDP governor.

The defection of the PDP governors to the APC has turned out to be a blessing in initial disguise. From the point of view of political strategy, it would have been better if they had remained in the PDP as APC wolves in PDP clothing. This might have been useful in undermining Jonathan’s candidacy. Indeed, they could have challenged him for the PDP ticket, not with any hope of winning, but just in order to dent his strength and create some havoc within the PDP.

However, by defecting, the rebel PDP governors ushered in peace to the PDP. Simultaneously, they exported their “wahala” to the APC where they are now at loggerheads with the old APC brigade in bitter internal struggles for supremacy. For a party that has yet to find its feet, this has been disastrous. Indeed, the defections are now going in the other direction, from APC to PDP; as happened recently in Zamfara. Even the defector PDP governors are likely to lose their seats in the near-future, because defection is proscribed in the Constitution and the PDP has taken the matter to court.

So what exactly is the APC game-plan? Nothing much! All we have at the moment is Lai Mohammed coming up incessantly with bombastic broadsides against Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP in the newspapers. If they really believe this is the way to unseat a six-year-old president and dislodge a fifteen-year-old government, then the APC bigwigs need to enroll in NIPSS, Kuru for courses in “Nigerian Elections 101.”

Boko Haram factor

And then there is the Boko Haram insurgency and the albatross of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls. The strategy of the terrorists is that every explosion is supposed to discredit the Jonathan administration. In spite of its hatred for the entire Nigerian political establishment, there is no doubt that the Boko Haram would prefer a Northern Muslim president to Southern Christian Goodluck Jonathan.

For this very reason, a vote for APC is now more likely to be construed as a vote of surrender to the insurgency. While Nigerians are very concerned about the security situation in the country, they are even less likely to succumb to its incorrigible purpose. The indiscriminate bombing of innocent Nigerians for the sake of an agenda that is alien to Nigeria cannot but rally people nationwide behind President Goodluck Jonathan.

A few days ago, Vanguard published a Special Report captioned: “Six Months to Elections, Where Are the Presidential Aspirants?” The answer is that Goodluck Jonathan is currently the only presidential candidate in Nigeria. The others are nowhere to be found.

The APC is a useful counterpoise to the PDP in the Nigerian political equation. But it is only likely to pose a strong challenge to the ruling party in 2019, when there will be no incumbent president to contend with, and after it might have sorted out its internal contradictions and developed firm roots nationwide. But as it is today, the APC is not even likely to survive impending defeat in 2015.

Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has been impeached

Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has been impeached by the state house of assembly, putting an end to weeks of intense politicking over the fate of the governor
His deputy, Bala Ngilari, who was also probed, resigned on Tuesday before the impeachment proceedings against the governor began. With Nyako’s impeachment and Ngilari’s resignation, the speaker, Alhaji Umaru Fintiri, is now the acting governor. A new election will be organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within 90 days in order to produce a substantive governor. The house sat and deliberated on the report of the seven-man investigative panel which sat and indicted Nyako ─ who did not make any attempt to defend himself. Nyako had declared two days ─ July 7 and 8 ─ as public holiday apparently to stall the impeachment move, although the officially stated reason was for citizens of Adamawa to “pray and reflect” on the state of the state. The tenure of Justice Ambrose Mammadi as acting chief judge of the state ended on July 7 and it was thought that with him unable to inaugurate the panel on a public holiday, Nyako would be able to appoint a new and “friendly” CJ after the break. It was alleged that the plan was to make the new CJ dissolve the panel set up by Mammadi and then appoint persons likely to clear Nyako of the allegations. However, the panel went ahead to sit, with the registrar of the state high court, Abubakar Babayola, saying the panel was not constitutionally required to be inaugurated. Inauguration, he said, is just an “administrative ceremony”. The house began the impeachment process last month, listing 20 allegations against Nyako and six against Ngilari. Some of the allegations against Nyako included diversion of N2.3 billion workers’ salary for September and October 2011, and illegal deductions and diversion of N142 million emoluments of workers in May 2014. He was also alleged to have squandered N4.8 billion and N7.1 billion in 2012 and 2013 respectively, through the office of the secretary to the government against budgetary approvals.

BUT BUS BUT AT IKORODU ROAD, LAGOS

TERROR: I Won't Succumb to Terror - Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has insisted that his administration will not succumb to terrorism.
Speaking at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Abuja today at the opening of the 16th meeting of the Baroness Lynda Chalker-led Honorary International Investor Council (HIIC), Jonathan said the government would remain unyielding in the face of terrorist activities in the country.
Represented by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, the president assured that his administration would continue to reinforce Nigeria's defence in order to rid the nation of terrorism and other evil forces threatening her peace and development.
He also maintained that the security agents were fighting terrorism and insurgency which, according to him, seeks to undermine the country's security.
"This administration remains committed to ensuring security of lives and property of Nigerians and all those that reside in this country. Our security forces are confronting terrorism and any insurgency that seeks to undermine the security of the nation.
"We will remain unyielding and will continue to reinforce our defence so as to rid the country of terrorism and the forces of evil that threaten our peace and development", the president said.
Speaking further, he said Nigeria's position as the preferred destination for direct foreign investment in Africa had been maintained despite the current security challenges.
Jonathan, who said the government's commitment to making Nigeria one the world's 20 most industrialised nations was waxing stronger, asserted
that his administration's transformation agenda was yielding impressive results.
The president also pledged to continue to eliminate distortions and privileges in order to create a sustainable level playing ground for all investors in the country.
According to him, Nigeria is better equipped to succeed in her fight against corruption to improve and build the economy, develop infrastructure and secure lives and property.
"Today, Nigeria is one of the strongest economic performer in Africa. For the second year, the United Nation's Conference on Trade and Development, has declared Nigeria as the number one recipient of Foreign Direct Investment in Africa. In May this year, Nigeria hosted global leaders at the World Economic Forum on Africa. Besides the record attendance, prospective and size able additional investment into Nigerian economy were pledged. The Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan which was launched recently is expected to increase the size of our manufacturing sector from four per cent of the GDP today to 10 per cent of the GDP by the year, 2017.
"This strategic industrial plan focuses on four main areas, light manufacturing, agro businesses, petro-chemicals and solid minerals and metals. It'll help to develop the non oil sector, fast track our industrial development and create millions of jobs for Nigerians. In the agricultural sector, our reform efforts are producing substantial outcomes in the Agricultural Transformation Agenda. Through the growth enhancement scheme, we've provided subsidised farming inputs to over four million farmers. Last year alone, over 250,000 farmers were engaged in producing 1.1 million metric tones of rice, during the dry season", he said
He said though access and quality still posed a challenge to the nation's education sector, the government was improving the standard at the state and federal levels by upgrading teaching and infrastructure in institutions.
Earlier in her opening address, Chalker said it had become imperative for the Honorary International Investor Council to focus on education as "a situation where children who go to primary schools do not complete their education tells a lot about the problems of the country".

Erdogan to Run for Turkish Presidency

After months of speculation, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday revealed Turkey's worst-kept political secret: he will run in the country's first direct presidential elections next month in a move designed to expand his vast powers and allow him to govern for another decade.

The announcement—delivered in Ankara in a slick campaign launch in front of 4,000 party members and cabinet officials—signals the start of a race culminating in an Aug. 10 poll that Mr. Erdogan is hot favorite to win. In power for 12 years and his popularity seemingly unscathed by a year of sporadic antigovernment protests and a corruption scandal, the premier is barred by party rules from running as prime minister again.

"With the direct election of the president by the people, the position of the president will be elevated to and regain its original strength to secure the unity of the state and the people," Mr. Erdogan said in an emotional speech that followed a 20-minute biographical video screened live by many television channels. "The new president will make Turkey fly in every sense."

After successes taming Turkey's once-dominant military, reshaping the judiciary and subjugating the press, many see an Erdogan victory as inevitable. His critics accuse him of peddling an increasingly authoritarian agenda that has polarized the country, but the latest polls give him around 55% of the vote, indicating he will capture the presidency in the first round of voting.

At stake is the nature of political power in Turkey. The presidency has for decades been a largely ceremonial post, but Mr. Erdogan has repeatedly stated his desire to recast the office with strong executive powers, including calling cabinet meetings.

Executive presidential power could bolster the tight control Mr. Erdogan has forged over the armed forces, judiciary and police.

"This pomp of the nomination speaks to how confident both Erdogan and his party are of victory," said Soli Ozel, professor of international relations at Kadir Has University in Istanbul. "Erdogan has a transformative vision and if he wins he will try to change the republic in his image, the only question is whether he will succeed."

The premier has an enviable track record at the ballot box.

Since his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, swept to power in 2003, Mr. Erdogan has transformed it into the world's most electorally successful Islamist-rooted political force. Underpinned by a decade of remarkable economic growth, he has won six consecutive elections at the local and national level, maintaining a solid base of support among Turkey's working-class and conservative Muslims, many of whom had felt like second-class citizens in previous secular administrations.

Mr. Erdogan's success in undermining Turkey's secular shibboleths is evident from the secular and nationalist opposition's choice to oppose him; Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, a diplomat and academic who was at the helm of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for nine years until 2014.

Remembering the late Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero by Dr Jibunoh

I have numerous fond thoughts and memories about the person of His Royal Highness, the late Emir of Kano.  I will attempt to share some. 

I first came into contact with him when I returned from my expedition across the Sahara Desert in 1967. He was very interested in knowing why I would venture into a risky sojourn like that and I could see his curiosity was heightened by his own desire for adventure.  I would later on get to know that he was passionate about the impact the encroaching Sahara Desert was having on his constituents. He went on to ask to go with me when next I was embarking on another trip across the Sahara Desert which unfortunately did not materialise until over 30 years after. That marked the beginning of our close friendship, which spanned over 40 years.

A true leader to his subjects, he stood by me when I started campaigning about the dangers of the encroaching desert in Northern Nigeria. His support for my cause for a better environment proved to be invaluable especially with the establishment of Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE) in May 2000. Our pilot project was flagged off in Makoda town located in the Makoda/Danbatta Local Government Area in Kano under the Chairmanship of His Royal Highness.He was extremely supportive from the beginning and was present not only at the unveiling ceremony but also at subsequent tree planting and secondary schools’ competition ceremonies that FADE holds biennially. He was gracious enough to allow these ceremonies take place within the grounds of the Emirate Palace and had personally handed out prizes to students from winning schools. He was to his death, the Chairman of FADE, a position he held from inception. 

I recall we traveled together on a number of Environmental Summits worldwide such as to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa, the Festival of the People of the Desert in Algeria and another in Dubai.

A lover of peace and huge promoter of the arts, he was present at the official opening of DIDI Museum in Lagos in May 1983 and DIDI Museum Skills Acquisition Centre in Akwukwu-Igbo, Delta State in 2008 and also attended a number of exhibitions in DIDI Museum Lagos. He later became the Chairman Board of Trustees for DIDI Museum. He recently sent his brother, Tafidan Kano, Alhaji Tijani, who unfortunately passed on this year, to represent him at the unveiling of the new DIDI Museum in July 2012.

When I decided to host an exhibition to celebrate “The Masters of Arts” that had passed on, he agreed to host the exhibition which was to be tagged “How Legends are made”. In his usual jovial self, he told me a joke of how ancient legends were made. He recalled one night roughly at about 2 a.m, he was unable to sleep and decided to walk out to his balcony and enjoy the view of the stars. This was shortly after the annual festivities and the palace had just received scores of bags of rice as gifts which were inside the courtyard. Out of the dark came one of his most senior security guards who sneaked in to steal not one but a number of the bags of rice while checking to be sure he was not seen. Unknown to him, His Royal Highness could see him from his vantage position at the balcony and even saw his cap fall down. Commotion broke loose the following morning when palace guards noticed that there were missing bags of rice. The voice of this security guard was the loudest calling out on knowing who the thief was. The Emir in his usual demeanour calmly told everyone gathered that he knew what happened the previous night before going ahead to narrate what transpired without mentioning who was responsible. The culprit’s voice defensively rang out shrilly saying “Our Emir is a god, even when he is asleep, he sees everything that goes on” because he assumed the Emir could only have known what transpired that night because of his supernatural powers. That to him exemplified how Legends were made. His Royal Highness was gracious enough to keep him in his employ.

Despite his position, he respected me as a friend. I recall during President Shagari’s era, sometime in the early 1980’s when the Emir was the Chairman of Foundation Construction (now Costain West Africa) and I was the Managing Director. He arrived at the Lagos airport to attend our quarterly board meeting and I went to the airport to receive him with the usual escorts and was even able to get the escorts to the tarmac, to wait for him at the foot of the arriving plane. About the same time, President Shagari was traveling out of the country and immediately most of the ministers that came to see off Shagari, when they heard the Emir was arriving, about seven of them trooped down with me to receive him particularly those from Northern Nigeria. Unfortunately in their excited state, I was pushed back till I found myself being the last person in the group of eight! As soon as he alighted, he offered his hand the way he normally does. Practically all of them who lined up ahead of me refused to shake him in reverence to his position but when he got to me I also decided not to shake his hand but instead, he grabbed my hand from my chest where I had placed it with a firm grip and shook it. That was the kind of affirmation he gave friends and that act touched me.

The late emir was a strong promoter of national peace, developmental growth for his people and a strong advocate for environmental causes and women empowerment. 

 

Umaru Dikko is dead

A prominent northern politician and Minister of Transportation during the Second Republic, Umaru Dikko, is dead, his son, Dr. Bello Dikko and another family member, have confirmed.
Mr. Dikko, 78, died early Tuesday in a London hospital, the younger Mr. Dikko and another family member told PREMIUM TIMES.
He has been sick for “quite some time” and suffered three strokes in a row, a family member said.
Details later….
Meanwhile, below is Wikipedia entry for Mr. Dikko.

Umaru Dikko (born 1936, Wamba) is a Nigerian politician and was a trusted adviser to President Shehu Shagari. He was also the Nigerian minister for Transportation from 1979-1983.

He started playing a role in the nation’s governance in 1967, when he was appointed as a commissioner in the then North Central State of Nigeria (now Kaduna State). He was also secretaryof a committee set up by General Hassan Katsina to unite the Northerners after a coup in 1966.  In 1979, he was made Shagari’s campaign manager for the successful presidential campaign of the National Party of Nigeria. During the nation’s Second Republic, he played prominent roles as transport minister and head of the presidential task force on rice.

A military coup on December 31, 1983 overthrew the government of Shagari. Dikko fled into exile in London as well as a few other ministers and party officials of the National Party of Nigeria. The new military regime accused him of large-scale corruption while in office, in particular of embezzling millions of dollars from the nation’s oil revenues.

On July 5, 1984, he played the central role in the Dikko Affair; he was found drugged in a crate at Stansted Airport that was being claimed as Diplomatic Baggage, an apparent victim of a government sanctioned kidnapping. The crate’s destination was Lagos

European Jewish Congress calls for EU to cut ties with Palestinians

Jewish communities abroad to hold memorial services for slain teens; some call on PA to act against terror while others call for action against Ramallah.

New Yorkers hold solidarity vigil for slain Israeli teenagers Photo: REUTERS

Communities across the Diaspora will be holding memorial services on Tuesday as Jews worldwide grapple with the murders of the three kidnapped teens whose bodies were found in a village outside of Hebron Monday evening.
Naftali Fraenkel, 16, Gil-Ad Shaer, 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, were found buried in a shallow grave. Reports indicate that they were killed shortly after being kidnapped.

 

Impromptu gatherings have already been held at the Israeli consulate and Manhattan Jewish Community Center in New York and further gatherings are scheduled in Warsaw, Los Angeles and other cities both in the United States and around the world.
Both New York mayor Bill De Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted their shock and outrage on Monday, joining their voices with those of their Jewish constituents.
“While others merely respond to this savage act of brutality by simply ‘condemning’ this violence against innocent, unarmed civilians – including one with United States citizenship – mere words are not enough.  It’s regrettable that President Obama lacked the leadership to say anything or even acknowledge this tragic situation as it unfolded or during his Rose Garden press conference this afternoon,” said Bruce Blakeman, who is running to fill a congressional seat in Long Island’s 4th district.
“There cannot be any peace with terrorists who commit such heinous crimes,” he added. “Hamas and its followers are merchants of death and must be treated accordingly.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is naive.  This administration’s international policy, which has not accepted this simple fact, has failed.
Larry Gordon, the editor of the Long Island based Five Towns Jewish Times interviewed Rachel Fraenkel, Naftali’s mother, just minutes before the bodies were discovered.
Fraenkel, he said, seemed “very upbeat” and was looking forward to leaving the public eye once her son was returned.
During the interview, he recalled, Fraenkel received a call from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) asking about what kind of sandals her son was wearing when he disappeared.
Asked about how Jews back in New York were handling the news, Gordon said that “everybody is shocked” and that many of his readers were disappointed in what he termed the lack of an immediate and “decisive” response by Jerusalem.
In Beverly Hills, the Israeli Consulate, together with the Beth Jacob Synagogue, the Jewish Federation, and Gil-Ad Shaer’s aunt Lihi will be holding a memorial. Bnei Akiva of Los Angeles, together with the local chapter of the National Council of Synagogue Youth and several modern orthodox schools have mobilized to learn Jewish texts in memory of the deceased.
Speaking to the Jewish Journal, Lihi Shaer said that Gil-Ad’s “sisters don’t have a brother anymore. I can’t believe it.”
Hamas does not “appreciate life; they don’t care about life [and] they don’t care about peace,” she was quoted as saying. “They just want to kill. They don’t want to talk—they don’t want to negotiate.”
In a letter to area teens published by the Journal, Bnei Akiva, a national-religious youth movement, stated that while only god knows why he allowed the yeshiva students to be murdered, as believing Jews “it seems fitting to bring more Torah to the world” after “three budding Torah scholars were ripped from our arms.”
Learning Torah in memory of the deceased is a custom among orthodox Jews.
The South African Jewish Board of Deputies, together with Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein and the local Zionist Federation will be holding memorials around the country, the groups announced  Tuesday morning.
While Jewish groups across the board mourned the deaths of the young yeshiva students, the takeaway from recent events differed among organizations.
“Violence and hatred does not solve problems; it only worsens them, and we must not let the deaths of these young men be in vain,” the National Council of Jewish Women said in a statement. “If there is anything to take away from this moment, it should be that all human lives are sacred.”
Other organizations, including many orthodox ones, took a more hardline approach in the wake of the murders, calling for the United States and Europe to cut ties with the Palestinians and blaming Ramallah for creating an atmosphere of hate that they said incites violence.
“The kidnapping and subsequent murders are the direct product of the constant and relentless incitement taught by the Palestinians,” B’nai B’rith International asserted.
“For many decades, generations of Palestinians have been raised on a diet of hate, which feeds the terror targeting Israel. The twin evils of incitement and terrorism have once again shown that Israel does not have a credible partner for peace…It is the duty of the Palestinians to surrender the murderers to Israel.”
B’nai B’rith stated that Hamas remains committed to Israel’s destruction and pointed out that the Palestinian Authority recently entered into a unity deal with the group, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States.
StandWithUS, a pro-Israel advocacy organization said that the murders indicate that “terrorists continue to act with impunity under Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.”
Joining the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Agudath Israel of America, StandWithUS blamed Palestinian propaganda and “hate education” for the murders, stating that such “institutionalized incitement against Jews and Israel permeates education, the media, mosques and other social institutions, directed and supported by the Palestinian leadership.”
“International pressure must be placed on the Palestinian Authority to stop the ongoing incitement to bigotry, hatred and violence,” the group demanded.
The World Jewish Congress asserted that the murders show Hamas’ “true colors” and that it is the Palestinian Authority’s responsibility to “remove all Hamas-linked officials from his government immediately and fight terrorism vigorously and urgently.”
The international Jewish organization urged Jewish institutions globally to hold memorial services and events and for schools to hold special classes to explain the murders to their students.
Communities affiliated with the WJC were asked to display home-pages devoid of any content except for the names of the victims this Thursday at ten twenty five in the evening, the time at which the boys were kidnapped.
“We wish to show a unified stand of World Jewry in reaction to this heinous crime, and to lend our support to the families and friends of the three boys,” WJC CEO Robert Singer stated.
The European Jewish Congress, a WJC affiliate, likewise called a change in the status quo, demanding that the European Union “immediately cease all support, funding and political contact of and with the new government of the Palestinian Authority until it suspends the agreement with Hamas.”
“Neither the cause of Middle East peace nor the protection of young lives are served by this perpetual apology for Islamist fundamentalism, terror and extremism which threatens not only Israel, but the whole of the Middle East region and indeed, the continent of Europe itself,” EJC President Dr. Moshe Kantor said.
According to Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Poland, in his country there is “an additional responsibility to remember, mourn and warn the world concerning the execution of Jews. We have lost too many Jews to hatred.”
“Enough,” he declared, stating that “no person with any sense of morality can permit the world to return to normal until the world will not accept the murder of Jews as normal.”
The National Council of Young Israel, a modern orthodox body, issued a similar call, demanding that the United States cease sending aid to the Palestinian Authority “until they end their contemptible practice of naming streets after terrorists and promoting as heroes those who murder Jews.”
“The world needs to recognize, as it often fails to do, the nature of the enemies that are arrayed against Israel and the level of inhumanity of which they are capable. We join in the call for swift and resolute punishment for the perpetrators of this atrocity, and call upon world leaders to continue to affirm that such heinous tactics have no place in the civilized world,” the Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America, two other modern orthodox groups, said in a statement.
The Zionist Organization of America, a right wing group, also joined the call for financial sanctions against the PA.
ZOA National President Morton Klein also condemned Palestinian Authority President Abbas for criticizing Israel’s crackdown on Hamas and door to door searches carried out in order to find the teens.
“This is what any self-respecting country does when its citizens are victims of terrorism,” he explained. “When the Boston Marathon was bombed by radical Muslim terrorists, the Boston police locked down half the city and conducted house-to-house searches until they located the perpetrators. Why would or should Israel do any less?”
The ZOA also critiqued President Barack Obama, stating that “in 18 days, he uttered no criticism or condemnation of the kidnapping of the three youths, one of whom is an American citizen; he merely expressed concern.”
The Conference of European Rabbis, the Anti-Defamation League, Israeli American Council, the  Union for Reform Judaism, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the American Jewish joint Distribution Committee and the Conference of European Rabbis, among other groups, also expressed their sadness over the deaths and solidarity with the families and the state of Israel.
"We feel a great anger towards those who have committed or allowed  these acts," the CRIF, A French Jewish umbrella organization, said in a statement. "They have the blood of children on their hands. They will all have to answer for their crimes and their barbarism."

Boko Haram is Armed Wing of APC - Fani-Kayode Alleges

Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, on Monday alleged that the Boko Haram Islamic sect is the armed wing of the opposition, All Progressives Congress (APC).
Fani-Kayode, who spoke as a guest on Channels Television programme, 'Sunrise Daily', also accused the APC leadership of being supportive of the sect's actions, saying such actions suit their purpose of discrediting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government.
Asked about the identity of Boko Haram supporters, Fani-Kayode said "there were some people in this country that believe that it suits their purpose for Boko Haram to kill people in order to discredit the government, destabilise the country and bring the government down".
He also pointed fingers at members of the opposition, arguing that some of them have sympathies for the Boko Haram insurgents.
Defending his claims, he referred to statements credited to members of the opposition, concerning the possible outbreak of violence if the Presidency did not return to the North in 2015.
"Look at the comments of somebody like General Buhari, who was once Head of State in this country.
"Just last year, he said that Boko Haram should be granted amnesty, that Boko Haram should be treated with kid gloves, that Boko Haram should be treated in the same way as the Niger Delta militants; that is
to say they should be sent abroad, paid a monthly salary and so forth and that they should not be killed," he explained.
The former minister further noted that the former Head of State had openly attempted to spread Sharia to all the states of the federation before, and that his objective back then now "tallies with the objective of Boko Haram".
"If you compare what's happening in Nigeria to what happened in Ireland some years ago, you had Sinn Fein on the one hand and then you had the IRA on the other. The IRA was the armed wing of Sinn Fein and as far as I'm concerned, Boko Haram could well be described as the armed wing of the opposition today.
"It's very clear to me when you look at all these things that Nigeria is a nation that is at war and we need to be able to do something about this and recognise that when we are at war, you don't start fighting the government of the day," he added.

Nyako Is As Good As Gone - Ardo

The battle to impeach Gov. Murtala Nyako of Adamawa reached a crescendo last week with the state legislature and the governor playing hide-and-seek over the service of the Impeachment Notice.
In this interview, Dr. Umar Ardo, a former governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and one of the major opposition figures says that no one can save the governor from the impeachment, insisting that Nyako is as good as gone.
Excerpts:

What is your take on the current battle to impeach Gov. Murtala Nyako?
Most people in Adamawa are desirous of regime change. Given the way the governor led the state for the past seven years, the people of the state are uncomfortable because he has virtually brought the state to its knees- politically, economically, in terms of infrastructure and security-wise. He has destroyed constitutionalism. Rule of law and election process in the state.
Since the governor came to power, there have not been elections in the state, whether internal elections within the party, either to elect the party executives or local government elections for councilors and chairmen. So all these things collectively destroyed the democratic base of the state and these made the people of Adamawa State incapable of using their God-given talents to carter for themselves.
You said that there have been no elections in the state since the governor came to office but not long, there were party ward congresses where officials of the party at that level were elected?
But you heard the troubles that came up- virtually APC is dead because they did not conduct the party's congresses according to the party's guidelines.
I am not a member of the APC but it made members like Gen. Buba Marwa and a lot of that party's leaders to abandon that party and to return to the PDP. That shows that Murtala Nyako does not respect the wishes of the people in any kind of election in the state.
Do you know that the chairmen and councilors in Adamawa State were sworn-in around 6.30 in the morning? That was because the governor knew that waiting for them to be sworn-in at 8 or, 9 or 10 in the morning would have been impossible as people were ready to obtain court injunction to stop him from swearing them in because there were issues.

Mikel: Giroud meant to elbow me

John Obi Mikel has claimed Olivier Giroud deliberately elbowed on him and criticised referee Mark Geiger for failing to show the France striker a red card. Nigeria midfielder Mikel was caught by Giroud in the first half of his country's 2-0 defeat by France in the World Cup last 16 on Monday. Although referee Geiger appeared to see the incident, he refused to take any action. "Yes I got an elbow and the referee saw it and he only gave him a warning, not even a yellow card, nothing," Mikel said. "It was bad. We know the game - if you see it, act on it.

Referee Geiger warns Giroud after the incident © Getty Images

Enlarge

"The ref saw it. He did catch me, I don't know if it was too hard but the intention was definitely there.
"I don't think he is a dirty player. Everyone wants to win for his country. He hasn't done those sort of things before so maybe it was just one of those things in the heat of the moment." Nigeria were also angered by a series of challenges on midfielder Ogenyi Onazi, with one tackle from Blaise Matuidi resulting in the Nigerian being carried off after 59 minutes. "I thought the referee didn't help us," said Mikel. "There were some heavy challenges and I think Ogenyi Onazi has broken his ankle. Challenges like this are bad but it was a 50-50, he just miscalculated, he is not a dirty player." Nigeria head coach Stephen Keshi, who resigned after his team's World Cup exit, accused Geiger of showing bias towards France. He was particularly incensed by what he said was a failure by the American referee to protect Onazi. "I am not happy with the officiating because Onazi, on two occasions, he had a very bad tackle and nothing was done by the referee," Keshi said. "I think the referee was just… for me, I think he was biased. This is the first time I will speak about the referee in my life as a coach but it wasn't good. "If you look at the goal we scored, I don't think there was any infringement. The referee is a human being, bound to make some mistakes, but a lot of mistakes is questionable. I am not happy about it but he's the man who decides whatever goes on the pitch." Keshi becomes the sixth manager to leave his job during the World Cup, joining Honduras's Luis Suarez, Iran's Carlos Queiroz, Japan's Alberto Zaccheroni, Italy's Cesare Prandelli and Ivory Coast's Sabri Lamouchi. Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo, the former Everton defender, also retired from international football, after scoring a late own goal after Paul Pogba's header in the 2-0 defeat by France.

How Boko Haram is beating U.S. efforts to choke its financing

When Washington imposed sanctions in June 2012 on Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, he dismissed it as an empty gesture.
Two years later, Shekau’s skepticism appears well founded: his Islamic militant group is now the biggest security threat to Africa's top oil producer, is richer than ever, more violent and its abductions of women and children continue with impunity.
As the United States, Nigeria and others struggle to track and choke off its funding, Reuters interviews with more than a dozen current and former U.S. officials who closely follow Boko Haram provide the most complete picture to date of how the group finances its activities.
Central to the militant group’s approach includes using hard-to-track human couriers to move cash, relying on local funding sources and engaging in only limited financial relationships with other extremists groups. It also has reaped millions from high-profile kidnappings.
"Our suspicions are that they are surviving on very lucrative criminal activities that involve kidnappings," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in an interview.
Until now, U.S. officials have declined to discuss Boko Haram’s financing in such detail.
The United States has stepped up cooperation with Nigeria to gather intelligence on Boko Haram, whose militants are killing civilians almost daily in its northeastern Nigerian stronghold. But the lack of international financial ties to the group limit the measures the United States can use to undermine it, such as financial sanctions.
The U.S. Treasury normally relies on a range of measures to track financial transactions of terrorist groups, but Boko Haram appears to operate largely outside the banking system.
To fund its murderous network, Boko Haram uses primarily a system of couriers to move cash around inside Nigeria and across the porous borders from neighboring African states, according to the officials interviewed by Reuters.
In designating Boko Haram as a terrorist organization last year, the Obama administration characterized the group as a violent extremist organization with links to al Qaeda.
The Treasury Department said in a statement to Reuters that the United States has seen evidence that Boko Haram has received financial support from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM), an offshoot of the jihadist group founded by Osama bin Laden.
But that support is limited. Officials with deep knowledge of Boko Haram's finances say that any links with al Qaeda or its affiliates are inconsequential to Boko Haram's overall funding.
"Any financial support AQIM might still be providing Boko Haram would pale in comparison to the resources it gets from criminal activities," said one U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Assessments differ, but one U.S. estimate of financial transfers from AQIM was in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars. That compares with the millions of dollars that Boko Haram is estimated to make through its kidnap and ransom operations.
LUCRATIVE KIDNAPPING RACKET
Ransoms appear to be the main source of funding for Boko Haram's five-year-old Islamist insurgency in Nigeria, whose 170 million people are split roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims, said the U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In February last year, armed men on motorcycles snatched Frenchman Tanguy Moulin-Fournier, his wife and four children, and his brother while they were on holiday near the Waza national park in Cameroon, close to the Nigerian border.
Boko Haram was paid an equivalent of about $3.15 million by French and Cameroonian negotiators before the hostages were released, according to a confidential Nigerian government report later obtained by Reuters.
Figures vary on how much Boko Haram earns from kidnappings. Some U.S. officials estimate the group is paid as much as $1 million for the release of each abducted wealthy Nigerian.
It is widely assumed in Nigeria that Boko Haram receives support from religious sympathizers inside the country, including some wealthy professionals and northern Nigerians who dislike the government, although little evidence has been made public to support that assertion.
Current and former U.S. and Nigerian officials say Boko Haram's operations do not require significant amounts of money, which means even successful operations tracking and intercepting their funds are unlikely to disrupt their campaign.
Boko Haram had developed "a very diversified and resilient model of supporting itself," said Peter Pham, a Nigeria scholar at the Atlantic Council think-tank in Washington.
"It can essentially 'live off the land' with very modest additional resources required," he told a congressional hearing on June 11.
LOW-COST WEAPONS
"We’re not talking about a group that is buying sophisticated weapons of the sort that some of the jihadist groups in Syria and other places are using. We’re talking AK-47s, a few rocket-propelled grenades, and bomb-making materials. It is a very low-cost operation," Pham told Reuters.
That includes paying local youth just pennies a day to track and report on Nigerian troop movements.
Much of Boko Haram's military hardware is not bought, it is stolen from the Nigerian army.

In February, dozens of its fighters descended on a remote military outpost in the Gwoza hills in northeastern Borno state, looting 200 mortar bombs, 50 rocket-propelled grenades and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. [ID:nL3N0OD3BU]

Such raids have left the group well armed. In dozens of attacks in the past year Nigerian soldiers were swept aside by militants driving trucks, motor bikes and sometimes even stolen armored vehicles, firing rocket-propelled grenades.

Boko Haram's inner leadership is security savvy, not only in the way it moves money but also in its communications, relying on face-to-face contact, since messages or calls can be intercepted, the current and former U.S. officials said.

"They're quite sophisticated in terms of shielding all of these activities from legitimate law enforcement officials in Africa and certainly our own intelligence efforts trying to get glimpses and insight into what they do," a former U.S. military official said.

U.S. officials acknowledge that the weapons that have served Washington so well in its financial warfare against other terrorist groups are proving less effective against Boko Haram.

"My sense is that we have applied the tools that we do have but that they are not particularly well tailored to the way that Boko Haram is financing itself," a U.S. defense official said.

Police Uncover Criminal Hideout in Ilorin

Front view of the abandoned buildings used by the suspects to perpetrate horror in Ilorin, Kwara State

The Kwara State Police Command yesterday uncovered another criminal hideout in Ilorin similar to Sokas in Ibadan, Oyo State, where many people were strangulated to death by criminals for ritual purposes in the state.

The hideout, according to THISDAY checks, which is an abandoned complex along the Lagos-Ilorin Expressway around the Ilorin International Airport area was said to have been used by suspected criminals for the murder, dismembering and sale of body parts.
THISDAY further gathered that the affected complex, with the inscription "For Sale" written all over it, is located near the NASFAT prayer ground, with a road separating the fenced building and the prayer ground.

Some of the items allegedly discovered in the six buildings of about 18 flats, said to be owned by an 85-year-old socialite, included decomposed human bodies, a decomposing headless body, decomposed human feet, snail shells, pieces of cloths suspected to be used in strangulating victims, bras, NYSC corps face caps, shoes, hijabs, caps, eye glasses, hand set covers and sandals, among other personal belongings.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin yesterday following the discovery of the criminal hideout, the state police commissioner, Mr. Ambrose Aisabor, said the command’s special anti-crime squad, acting on "highly potent intelligence", coupled with the supply of information from members of the public, discovered the hideout at the weekend. Aisabor, who said no arrest had been made in the case, added that the aged socialite who allegedly owns the buildings and is suspected to be a native of Oro town in Irepodun Local Government Area of the state, was being interrogated.

In a related development, the state police commissioner also paraded one Ganiyu Lawal, suspected to be an armed robber. He said the suspect removed a Toyota Camry with Registration Number Lagos APP 645 AN, from where it was parked in Ikorodu, Lagos.
He said the case was still under investigation.

Also paraded were two students of Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, suspected to be armed robbers, with one BlackBerry mobile phone, one Techno phone and N1,000 found on them.

The police commissioner said the suspects were arrested for robbing one Musa Azeez and others of various items including money at gunpoint within the college campus.

He said the suspects had confessed to the crime, adding that they would soon be arraigned in court.

Iraq live: ISIL's declaration of caliphate is meaningless, says US

     

9:40 am: ISIL's declaration of a caliphate has no meaning, says US
The United States said on Monday that the declaration by Sunni militants of an "Islamic caliphate" on territory they have seized in Iraq and Syria has "no meaning", AFP reported.
"We have seen these types of words from ISIL before," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, referring to militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
"This declaration has no meaning for the people in Iraq and Syria," she said, adding that the militants -- who have now renamed their group the Islamic State -- were just trying "to control people by fear."
8:10 am: US to send another 300 troops to ramp up security of it's embassy, citizens in Iraq
The US is sending another 300 troops to Iraq to beef up security at the US Embassy and elsewhere in the Baghdad area to protect US citizens and property, officials said Monday.
That raises the total US troop presence in Iraq to approximately 750, the Pentagon said.
The State Department, meanwhile, announced that it was temporarily moving an unspecified "small number" of embassy staff in Baghdad to US consulates in the northern city of Irbil and the southern city of Basra. This is in addition to some embassy staff moved out of Baghdad earlier this month,
Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the Baghdad embassy "will be fully equipped to carry out" its mission.
The White House announced that President Barack Obama had directed that 200 troops be sent to reinforce security at the embassy, its support facilities and Baghdad International Airport, Associated Press reported.
The Pentagon said the 200 arrived Sunday and Monday.
"The presence of these additional forces will help enable the embassy to continue its critical diplomatic mission and work with Iraq on challenges they are facing as they confront Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant," the Pentagon's press secretary, Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, said in a written statement.
Obama notified House and Senate leaders in a letter on Monday of the additional forces heading to Iraq. Officials said they bring a detachment of helicopters and drone aircraft to improve airfield and travel route security in Baghdad.
Obama has ruled out sending combat troops back into Iraq. He said the extra troops will stay in Iraq until security improves so that the reinforcements are no longer needed.
Kirby said another 100 troops, who had been on standby in the Middle East since mid-June, also will move into Baghdad to provide security and logistics support.
That raises to about 470 the number of US troops providing security in Baghdad.
Those forces are separate from the teams of up to 300 US military advisers that Obama authorized for deployment to Iraq earlier in June. Of those 300, about 180 had arrived as of Monday, the Pentagon said. They are assessing the state of Iraqi security forces and coordinating with Iraqi authorities.
The US also has a permanent group of about 100 military personnel in the Office of Security Cooperation, at the US Embassy, to coordinate US military sales.
7:30 am: Don't want to see tattered and divided Iraq: Turkey
Turkey's deputy prime minister says his country does not want to see a "tattered and divided" Iraq.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc's comments Monday came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan in Iraq, following territorial gains by a jihadi group in Iraq, reported The Associated Press.
Arinc voiced support for Iraq's territorial integrity and said "foreign forces" should leave the country.

Picture shows Iraqi volunteers who joined the army to fight against ISIL. Reuters image

Turkey has built close trade ties with the Iraq's Kurdish regional government, recently becoming a conduit for Iraqi Kurdish oil shipments. But Turkey fears that an independent Kurdistan in Iraq would inspire its own Kurdish population.
Arinc said 80 Turkish hostages seized 11 June by the jihadis in Mosul were well and hoped they would be released during the month of Ramadan.
7:00 am: Syrian rebels call ISIL declared caliphate 'null and void'

Syrian rebels, including the main Islamist factions, said Monday the creation of a caliphate by the Islamic State (IS) was "null and void", AFP reported.

"We see that the announcement by the rejectionists of a caliphate is null and void, legally and logically," the groups said in a statement, using a pejorative term to refer to the extremist Islamic State.

End of updates for 30 June

5.00 pm: India plans to bring back 600 citizens from Iraq, says MEA
The Ministry of External affairs has today said that India plans to evacuate 600 of its citizens from strife-torn Iran.
"600 Indians will be brought back from Iraq. 60 have left today from Najaf," said the MEA and added, "Arrangements are being made to bring back Indians. India wants nurses in Tikrit to leave to avoid being caught in the crossfire."
3:31 pm: Declaration of Caliphate shows ISIL is a global threat, says Iraqi army spokesperson
Militant group Islamic State's declaration of a caliphate in lands seized this month across Iraq and Syria is a message that the group has become a threat to all countries, Iraqi army spokesman Qassim Atta told Reuters on Monday.
"This declaration is a message by Islamic State not only to Iraq or Syria but to the region and the world. The message is that Islamic State has become a threat to all countries," he said.
"I believe all the countries, once they read the declaration will change their attitudes because it orders everybody to be loyal to it," he said.
3:20 pm: Syrian rebel factions clash with ISIL in border town
Syrian activists say heavy clashes are underway between several rebel factions and an al-Qaida breakaway group over control of a border crossing with Iraq, The Associated Press reported.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Monday's fighting between rebel groups and rivals in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is concentrated in the town of Boukamal on the border between Syria and Iraq.
The jihadist group, which on Sunday declared the establishment of an Islamic caliphate, controls much of northeastern Syria. In Iraq, it has recently captured cities and towns as well as border crossings, effectively erasing the frontier.
The group says its Islamic state stretches from northern Syria to the Iraqi province of Diyala northeast of Baghdad, and has called on all Muslims worldwide to pledge allegiance to it.
8:20 am: ISIL declare captured regions as "caliphate"
Jihadists fighting in Syria and Iraq announced Sunday the establishment of a "caliphate", referring to the system of rule that ended nearly 100 years ago with the fall of the Ottomans.
In an audio recording distributed online, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) declared its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi "the caliph" and "leader for Muslims everywhere".

Picture shows Iraqi volunteers who joined the army to fight against ISIL. Reuters image

"The Shura (council) of the Islamic State met and discussed this issue (of the caliphate)... The Islamic State decided to establish an Islamic caliphate and to designate a caliph for the state of the Muslims," said ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani.
"The jihadist cleric Baghdadi was designated the caliph of the Muslims," said Adnani.
Baghdadi "has accepted this allegiance, and has thus become the leader for Muslims everywhere".
"The words 'Iraq' and 'the Levant' have been removed from the name of the Islamic State in official papers and documents," Adnani said, describing the caliphate as "the dream in all the Muslims' hearts" and "the hope of all jihadists".
Ever since the Prophet Mohammed's death, a caliph was designated "the prince" or emir "of the believers".
After the first four caliphs who succeeded Mohammed, the caliphate lived its golden age in the Omayyad empire from the year 661 to 750, and then under the Abbasids, from 750 to 1517.
It was abolished when the Ottoman empire collapsed in 1924.

07:56 am: Kuwait send urgent humanitarian aid to Iraqi refugees

Kuwait said on Sunday it is sending urgent humanitarian aid to thousands of Iraqis who have been displaced by ongoing fighting in the neighbouring Arab country.
"The council of ministers decided to send urgent humanitarian aid to Iraqis who have been displaced as a result of deteriorating security situation," the cabinet said in a statement.
The statement said the aid would be distributed through the United Nations. It did not specify the amount of aid.
International organisations have urged the establishment of humanitarian corridors to provide aid amid the fighting, with 1.2 million people having been displaced by unrest this year in Iraq.
Fighting is raging in Iraq following a lightning offensive this month by jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other militants that has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced tens of thousands.
07:26 am: Russian jets arrive as Iraqi forces fight back
Iraq received the first batch of Sukhoi warplanes from Russia as it pressed a counter-attack on Sunday against a Sunni militant onslaught that threatens to tear the country apart.
Witnesses reported waves of government air strikes Sunday on the city of Tikrit, overrun by the insurgents when they swept across vast areas of north and west Iraq earlier this month.
World leaders, alarmed by the pace of the reverses in Iraq, have meanwhile urged a speeding up of government formation following April's general election, warning that the conflict, driven by sectarian divides, cannot be resolved militarily.
The newly-purchased Su-25 aircraft are expected to be pressed into service as soon as possible, bolstering Iraq's air power as it combats the insurgency that has killed more than 1,000 people and sparked a humanitarian crisis with hundreds of thousands displaced.
An Iraqi official said that pilots from executed dictator Saddam Hussein's air force would fly the planes.
Su-25s are designed for ground attack, meaning they will be useful for Iraqi forces trying to root out militants, led by jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, from a string of towns and cities they have seized.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Thursday announced that Baghdad was buying more than a dozen Sukhoi aircraft from Russia in a deal that could be worth up to $500 million (368 million euros).
While Washington has begun sending military advisers to help Iraqi commanders and is flying armed drones over Baghdad, Iraqi officials have voiced frustration that multi-billion dollar deals for US-made F-16s and Apache helicopters have not been expedited.
Iraqi forces have for days been pressing a campaign to retake Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, which fell to the militants on 11 June.
End of updates for 29 June
10:00 am: ISIL militants crucify 8 in Syria
A jihadist group in Syria has publicly executed and crucified nine men, eight of them rebels fighting both President Bashar al-Assad's regime and the jihadists, a monitor said on Sunday.
The report comes amid fierce clashes on the outskirts of Damascus between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which is spearheading a major offensive in Iraq, and rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
"ISIL executed eight men in Deir Hafer in the east of Aleppo province" on Saturday because they belonged to rebel groups that had fought against the jihadists as well as Assad's forces, it said.
ISIL then "crucified them in the main square of the village, where their bodies will remain for three days", the Britain-based monitor said.
-AFP
End of updates for 28 June
4:35 pm Syrian rebels, al-Qaeda fight ISIL in Iraq town
Syrian rebels and Al-Qaeda launched a counter-offensive Saturday to expel the Islamist State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from Albu Kamal town on the Iraq border, a monitor said.
The operation came just days after some fighters from Al-Qaeda's Syria franchise, Al-Nusra Front, pledged loyalty to ISIL in Albu Kamal, after it led an offensive in Iraq and seized chunks of territory, AFP reported.
But not all Al-Nusra fighters defected and those who refused to submit to the jihadist group joined forces with other Syrian rebel groups to launch the counter-offensive.
"Fighting has raged since late last night in Albu Kamal between Al-Nusra Front and Islamist rebels on one side and ISIL on the other," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Al-Nusra fronts and its allies captured on Saturday two ISIL positions in Alby Kamal, a key town in the oil-rich eastern province of Deir Ezzor, said the Britain-based Observatory.
Al-Nusra and other rebel groups in Syria have been locked in fierce fighting with ISIL since January that has killed thousands of fighters.
1:42 pm: ISIL militants crucify one of their own over graft allegations in Syria
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Friday executed and crucified one of its own men for corruption in Syria, a watchdog and jihadist sites said.
Photographs posted on websites showed the body and bloodied head of a bearded man with a placard reading: "Guilty: Abu Adnan al-Anadali. Sentence: execution and three days of crucifixion. Motive: extorting money at checkpoints by accusing drivers of apostasy."
The text is signed by "The prince of believers", thought to refer to ISIL chief Abu Baqr al-Baghdadi.
Before being crucified, the man was killed by three bullets to the head at Bab in the north of Aleppo province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Mainstream Syrian rebels and the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front accuse the jihadists of ISIL of responsibility for a string of atrocities.
- AFP report
10: 15 am: Iraqi forces battle militants in a bid to retake Tikrit; Kurds declare autonomy
Iraqi forces fought for a strategic university campus in Tikrit Friday and bombarded the city in an effort to retake it from Sunni Arab insurgents threatening to tear the country apart, AFP reported.
The military operation came as the top Shiite cleric urged the country's leaders to unite, after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki conceded political measures are needed to defeat the jihadist-led offensive that has killed more than 1,000 people and overrun major parts of five provinces.
In further fallout from the crisis, the president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region declared there was no going back on Kurdish self-rule in disputed territory, including ethnically divided northern oil city Kirkuk, now defended against the militants by Kurdish fighters.
International agencies meanwhile raised alarm bells over the humanitarian consequences of the fighting, with up to 10,000 people having fled a northern Christian town in recent days and 1.2 million displaced by unrest in Iraq this year.
Iraqi forces swooped into Tikrit University by helicopter on Thursday, and a police major said that there were periodic clashes on the campus on Friday.
A senior army officer said Iraqi forces were targeting militants in Tikrit with air strikes to protect forces at the university and prepare for an assault on the city.
Troops are deployed in areas around Tikrit for the attack, the officer said.

09:00 am: US says its flying armed drones over Iraq 

 The US military is flying "a few" armed drones over Baghdad to defend American troops and diplomats in the Iraqi capital if necessary, a senior US official said Friday.

"For the last 24 to 48 hours, we've started that," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

The move comes after the United States deployed 180 troops as military advisers in recent days to help the Iraqi government army fend off the advance of Sunni militants, who have captured territory north and west of the capital.

But officials said the armed drones would not be used to carry out offensive strikes on Sunni extremists, a move that would require a decision by President Barack Obama.

The drones were there as a precaution to safeguard Americans in Baghdad, or what the military calls "force protection," officials said.

Obama has not ruled out air strikes but for the moment, American forces are focused on gauging the state of the Iraqi military and its adversaries on the battlefield, according to the White House and the Pentagon.

The US advisers, drawn mainly form special operations forces, along with troops sent in to bolster security for the US embassy in Baghdad, bring the total number of American military personnel to roughly 500, officials said.

The armed robotic planes are in addition to other manned and unmanned US aircraft that are conducting about 30-35 surveillance flights a day, as Washington attempts to gain a better picture of events on the ground.

The surveillance effort includes armed F-18 fighter jets, flying from the George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier in the Gulf.

End of updates for 27 June
3:45 pm: Iraq presidency convenes parliament in first step to form new government
Reuters reported Iraq's presidency has issued a decree for a parliament session on 1 July, starting the process of forming a new government amid an insurgency that threatens the country's unity.
Vice President Khudair al-Khuzai, who is acting president and a close ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, announced the session would be held.
3:22 pm: Villagers flee advancing militants
Hundreds of villagers fleeing advances by Sunni militants in Iraq crowded on Thursday under the morning sun at a checkpoint on the edge of the country's Kurdish-controlled territory, trying to join large numbers of displaced who have already sought shelter in the relative safety of the largely autonomous region.
Many of those seeking shelter were Shiite Turkmen from villages outside Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul, overrun earlier this month by fighters led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the Sunni extremist group that has seized large swaths of Iraq and seeks to carve out a purist Islamic enclave across both sides of the Syria-Iraq border.
Also, a new insurgent artillery offensive against Christian villages in the north of Iraq on Wednesday sent thousands of Christians fleeing from their homes, seeking sanctuary in the Kurdish enclave. The shelling of the a cluster of villages happened in an area known as Hamdaniya, 45 miles (75 kilometers) from the frontier of the self-ruled Kurdish region.
While many villagers appeared to have been granted access by daybreak, hundreds of Shiite refugees were still hoping to be let in but were facing delays because they lacked sponsors on the other side.
3:00 pm: Maliki confirms airstrikes on militants were carried out by Syria
The Syrian air force carried out air strikes targeting militants along the Iraq-Syria border this week, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told the BBC.
Maliki told the British broadcaster he "welcomed" any such strike against militants led by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, but noted Baghdad did not request the aerial raids which took place on Tuesday.
2:45 pm: British Foreign Secretary William Hague arrives in Baghdad
British Foreign Secretary William Hague made a surprise visit to Baghdad on Thursday to urge Iraqi political leaders to unite in the face of a "mortal threat" from Sunni militants.
Hague is due to meet with several leaders over the militant offensive, which he said poses "a mortal threat to the stability and territorial integrity of Iraq," according to a Foreign Office statement.
Britain has ruled out military intervention, but Hague said it would provide "diplomatic, counter-terrorism and humanitarian support." Hague is due to meet with embattled Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, Kurdish regional President Masoud Barzani and other political figures, AP reported.
9:30 am: Shi'ite cleric al-Sadr speaks against US sending military advisers
Powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr Wednesday voiced opposition to US military advisers who have begun meeting with Iraqi commanders, and warned that his supporters would "shake the ground" in combatting militants.
"We will shake the ground under the feet of ignorance and extremism," he said, referring to Sunni insurgents who have overrun a swathe of territory in the past two weeks, in a televised speech from the Shiite holy city of Najaf.
He added that he only supported "providing international support from non-occupying states for the army of Iraq".
The cleric's remarks came days after fighters loyal to him paraded with weapons in the Sadr City area of north Baghdad, vowing to fight a major militant offensive that has alarmed the world and threatens to tear Iraq apart.
9:18 am: Iran secretly sending military equipment, flying surveillance drones over Iraq
Iran is secretly flying surveillance drones over Iraq and sending military equipment there to help Baghdad in its fight against Sunni insurgents, The New York Times reported.
A "small fleet" of Ababil drones was deployed to the Al Rashid airfield near Baghdad, the newspaper said on its website, citing anonymous US officials.
Tehran has also installed an intelligence unit at the airfield to intercept electronic communications between ISIS fighters and commanders.
Ababil drones, less sophisticated than US unmanned aircraft, are designed in Iran and have a nearly 10-foot (three-meter) wingspan. They are used for surveillance and are unarmed.
About a dozen officers of Iran's paramilitary Quds Force, have also been sent to Iraq to advise Iraqi commanders and help mobilize Shiite militias in the south of the country, the paper said, adding that Iran's General Qassem Suleimani recently made two trips to Iraq.
Iran is also sending two flights daily to Baghdad with 70 tons each of military equipment and supplies.
"It's a substantial amount" of material, a US official told the newspaper. "It's not necessarily heavy weaponry, but it's not just light arms and ammunition."
Tehran has massed 10 divisions of its army and its Quds Force troops along the border, ready to act if the Iraqi capital or Shiite shrines are threatened, The New York Times added.
Asked at a briefing, US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said she "can't confirm the specifics in those reports."
But she said "anyone in the region shouldn't do anything that might exacerbate sectarian divisions, that would fuel extremism inside Iraq."
The United States has for two weeks said Iranian aid for the Iraq crisis should be done in a nonsectarian way -- by pressuring the Iraqi government to adopt a national unity government and not fuel the Sunni and Shiite conflict.
We "believe Iran could play a constructive role if it's helping to send the same message to the Iraqi government that we're sending," Harf said.
9:15 am: UN triples appeal for humanitarian funding for Iraq
The United Nations has tripled its appeal for humanitarian funding for Iraq in 2014 to more than $312 million, with the country battling a fierce militant onslaught.
"The funding is urgently needed to help one million people affected by the conflict, including in Mosul and Anbar," said Wednesday Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
But he cautioned that the original $103 million appeal was "one of the least-funded appeals for 2014, with only six percent of the funding" received so far.
Speaking to journalists via video conference from Baghdad, UN special envoy for Iraq, Nikolay Mladenov, emphasized that in the country "over one million people have been displaced since January."
He said that among those who have fled their homes, some "are increasingly facing challenges in getting food, many of them dropping to one meal a day.
"The situation remains dire, our resources are overly stretched since the beginning of the year."
9:07 am: Car bomb in North Baghdad kills 5
A car bomb in a Kurdish-majority neighbourhood of the ethnically mixed northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk killed five people on Wednesday evening, security and medical officials said.
Twenty more people were wounded by the blast in the northern part of the tinderbox oil hub, which lies at the heart of territory Iraq's Kurds want to incorporate into their autonomous region over the objections of Baghdad.

The site of Wednesday's car bomb explosion in Kirkuk, Iraq. AFP image

Two of the dead were Kurdish security force members.
While the federal government has not abandoned its opposition to Kurdish claims, Kurdish peshmerga forces are now responsible for its external security after the army abandoned its positions in the face of a Sunni Arab militant offensive led by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
9:02 am: 12 dead in attacks south of Baghdad
A suicide bombing and shelling killed 12 people and wounded at least 23 south of Baghdad officials said, as Iraq struggles to stem a major militant offensive.
The bomber detonated explosives in a market in Mahmudiyah, while shellfire struck various areas of the town, AFP reported.
8:43 am: Kerry to visit Saudi Arabia to discuss Iraq
US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday for talks about the crisis in Iraq, AFP reported.
Speaking on the sidelines of talks at NATO, Kerry announced the extra stop on his current whirlwind tour saying he would stress "the great urgency" of the conflict in Iraq and brief Saudi King Abdullah on his visits to Baghdad and Arbil this week.
8:16 am: Militants bomb Shiite places of worship in Iraq
A senior army officer said on Wednesday that Jordan can defend itself against "any aggression" after Sunni Arab militants seized large swathes of neighbouring Iraq, AFP reported.
"The Jordanian-Iraqi borders are safe. The Jordanian armed forces are capable of defending the kingdom from any aggression," border guard commander Brigadier Saber Mahayrah told reporters as they toured the border area.
"We will not allow anyone to cross illegally," he said as armoured personnel carriers, Humvees and tanks deployed to the area.
Four military helicopters hovered over the border. Mahayrah made his remarks two days after Jordan reinforced its border. "The Jordanian army has dispatched more troops, tanks, rocket launchers and armoured personnel carriers to the border with Iraq," a security official told AFP on Monday. "The army will not tolerate any kind of infiltration."
8:00 am: Militants bomb Shiite places of worship in Iraq
Sunni militants bombed two Shiite places of worship, known as husseiniyahs, in northern Iraq on Wednesday, an official and witnesses said.
According to AFP, the two husseiniyahs in Sharikhan, north of Nineveh provincial capital Mosul, were bombed early on Wednesday, damaging the structures but causing no casualties, the sources said.
--End of updates for 26 June--
11:21 pm: 2 Indian nurses evacuated from Iraqi hospital, Gulf envoys called
India has evacuated two nurses from the conflict zone in Iraq while 46 other nurses remained stranded in a hospital in Tikrit, taking the total number of those rescued so far to 36 as all Indian envoys in Gulf countries have been called to New Delhi on June 29 to discuss the Iraqi issue and other regional complexities.
"Two nurses in the zone of conflict, other than the group of 46 (in Tikrit), have been rescued and evacuated. They are now in Karbala which is again a safe place," said Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs.
Akbaruddin did not specify the place from where the two nurses were pulled out. He said the modalities of their return were being worked out and their tickets were being facilited by the MEA.
"We have got their tickets and they will fly back to India as soon as possible. They are now in the safe zone," the spokesperson said.
On those in captivity, Akbaruddin said, "those who think we are in the dark about it, we are not in the dark about it. As of today, we again have confirmation from multiple sources that these Indians remain in captivity and they are unharmed."
The MEA was in touch with a variety of sources who have confirmed this, he said.
With regard to the 46 nurses stranded in a hospital in Tikrit, the spokesperson said no one had intruded into the hospital and they have electricity and food supply.
"We are working with a variety of people on how best we can move them out from there but...it is not possible to use land routes and in such situations while we will work, we will also advise caution," the spokesperson said.
"And that we have done yesterday in terms of requests and advise to all of them to ensure that they do not move out of their places they are staying in, given the security situation there," he said.
The government meanwhile has called all Indian envoys in Gulf countries to New Delhi on June 29 to discuss the complexities of the Iraqi issue.
The spokesperson said "the External Affairs Minister (Sushma Swaraj) is monitoring the situation herself and she has now summoned all Indian Ambassodors in the Gulf to come to Delhi."
However, Indian Ambassador to Iraq Ajay Kumar will not be attending that meeting as he is required to stay in that country to "focus much greater on ground-level issues".
"We have summoned these Ambassadors to understand the complexity of the situation we are facing, both In Iraq and in the region generally," Akbaruddin said.
3:29 pm: Iraq crisis won't affect oil prices: Centre
The Centre today said the situation in Iraq was a matter of concern and hoped that the turmoil in the Gulf country will not affect the oil supplies to India.
"The new issue of concern is Iraq. Our oil pipeline comes from Southern Iraq. So far the terrorist have not targeted this pipeline but the government is keeping a close watch on the issue," Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh told reporters here.
"We are hopeful that the situation in Iraq improves and our oil supplies are not affected," Singh, who laid a wreath at the War Memorial at Badamibagh Cantonment here, said.
3:04 pm: Al-Qaeda joins hands with ISIL
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ruled out forming a national emergency government to confront a Sunni militant offensive that has overrun large parts of the country as per an AFP report.
"The call to form a national emergency government is a coup against the constitution and the political process," Maliki said in a televised address.
"The dangerous goals of forming a national emergency government are not hidden.

Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki. AP image

"It is an attempt by those who are against the constitution to eliminate the young democratic process and steal the votes of the voters," said the Iraqi leader.
Maliki's electoral bloc won by far the most seats in April 30 parliamentary elections with 92, nearly three times as many as the next biggest party, and the incumbent himself tallied 720,000 personal votes, also far and away the most.
But he fell short of a majority in Iraq's Council of Representatives, and has had to court the support of rivals in order to form a government.
2:12 pm: Al-Qaeda joins hands with ISIL
Al-Qaeda's Syrian offshoot on Wednesday made an oath of loyalty to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant at a key town on the Iraqi border, AFP reported.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the merger is significant because it opens the way for ISIL to take control of both sides of the border at Albu Kamal in Syria and Al-Qaim in Iraq, where the jihadist group has led a major offensive this month.
1:37 pm: All options to rescue Indians being considered: Rajnath Singh
Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that the government was considering all options to rescue citizens stranded in Iraq. "We are looking into all options for rescue of Indians stranded in Iraq," he said.
8:37 am: Will foot the bill for the return of nurses: Kerala government
The Kerala government is ready to pay for the return of its nurses stranded in strife-torn Iraq if the Centre does not foot the bill, a minister told the state assembly Tuesday.
"The Centre should meet the expenses of their return journey and if it does not happen, then the state government is ready to bear it," said state Minister for Diaspora KC Joseph. He also said there are reports from some place in Iraq that some of the nurses have salary dues.
--End of updates for 24 June--
5.02 pm: Abducted Indians still in captivity, but unhurt, says MEA
Spokesperson of the Minsitry of External Affairs Syed Akbaruddin today said that the abducted Indians were still in captivity, but they were safe.
"The abducted Indians in Iraq remain in captivity but have not been hurt. We are in touch with the 46 nurses, and I can confirm that they are all safe," Akbaruddin said.
He said that government had set up helplines in the strife-torn country. "Our helplines in Baghdad will be working 24x7. We have evacuated 17 more Indians.They are now in Baghdad and will return to India soon."
"We are telling Indian nationals they can avail commercial flights if they wish to leave Iraq, will provide assistance," he said and added, "We will set up offices in Najaf, Karbala and Basra to assist Indian nationals."
He also said that India and Iraq would set up a Joint Committee, which would handle issues immigration issues and facilitate evacuation.
"On our side there will be officials from the Embassy, on the Iraqi side there will be officials from the Home and Interior Ministry relating to immigration, so that those Indian nationals who may have problems relating to their immigration status can be facilitated and assisted to travel if they so desire to travel," he said.
3:00 pm: 19 killed in airstrikes in Baiji in Northern Iraq
Iraqi air strikes in multiple areas of the town of Baiji north of Baghdad killed at least 19 people on Tuesday, officials said.
The raids, which began early on Tuesday, also wounded at least 17, they said, AFP reported.
There was also fighting at the country's largest oil refinery, which is near Baiji.
11:50 am: Kerry arrives in autonomous Kurdish region
US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on Tuesday, part of a diplomatic drive aimed at preventing the country from splitting apart.
Kerry was to meet leaders of the three-province Kurdistan region, after holding talks in Baghdad the day before with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other politicians from across the political and religious spectrum.
10:45 am: NATO convenes to discuss Iraq, Ukraine
NATO foreign ministers convened on Tuesday to discuss the Iraq crisis after US Secretary of State John Kerry pledged "intense" support to Baghdad in the fight against militants pushing towards the capital, AFP reported.
A two-day meeting of foreign ministers from NATO countries began to discuss the situation in Iraq, as well as Ukraine.
Earlier this month, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance was following events in Iraq "closely", but said he saw no role for it in the conflict.
10:45 am: Iraqi troops regain control of one border crossing with Syria
Iraqi security forces regained control of the Al-Waleed border crossing between Iraq and Syria after Sunni Arab militants briefly seized it, officers said on Monday.
The militants took the crossing on Sunday, but as of Monday evening, it was back in Iraqi government hands, a police colonel and a major in the border guards said.
The militants withdrew without fighting, the officers said, allowing security forces to move back in.
8:45 am: Two Indian men working in Iraq return home
Two persons from West Bengal's Nadia district have returned home from the violence-hit Iraq, family members said here today.
As per a PTI report, Biswajit Hira and Manik Sarkar, both residents of Nadia's Tehatta, was working as carpenters at Iraq's Barsa city, returned home yesterday fearing for life due to the ongoing insurgency in the gulf state.
"There was no attack on our working place in Basra but it was only 15 km away from our place where the insurgents were fighting with security forces," a visibly shaky Sarkar said.
"The Iraqi government gave us security after Indians were abducted from Mosul... Authorities of our company had a discussion with us and then they arranged for our return. I shall not go to Iraq ever," the resident of Tehatta's Nazirpur-Mrigi village said.
Hira, who had previously worked in Dubai for six years, said they and other four others came back home from Iraq on Saturday night.
"One of the four persons was from Punjab and other three were from Rajastan. We boarded plane at Al Basra and finally landed in Delhi via Sharjah where we had to wait for about 11 hours," Hira, who went to Iraq 10 months back, said.
Meanwhile, two women from the district claimed that their husbands, who went to Iraq as construction workers, have been abducted there.
Moushumi Biswas from Bogula-Patikabari of Hanshkhali claimed that her husband Kshitish Biswas and another Jharna Biswas from Gangnapur said her husband Basudev Biswas, both construction workers have been abducted.
Both men, who went to Iraq three months ago, could not be contacted since Friday because their phones were switched off, their wives claimed.
Similarly, family members of Khokan Sikdar and Samar Tikadar, who were allegedly taken hostages by insurgents in Iraq, claimed that the two could not be contacted because their phones were found switched off since the last few days.
Both Sikdar and Tikadar's wife had met Nadia District Magistrate PB Salim in this connection.
However, it is not known if these two are among the 40 Indian workers, who were kidnapped from Mosul in Iraq and being held hostage by the militants.
8:30 am: Iraq assures US special forces of legal immunity
Iraq has offered legal guarantees to shield US special forces operatives sent to the country as advisers to help its forces battle Sunni radicals who have seized tracts of territory. The White House said Monday that the guarantee had been provided by the Iraqis in a diplomatic note to Washington.
Many of Obama's political opponents say their exit fostered a power vacuum which the Sunni group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has exploited in a rapid advance across the country. "The commander in chief would not make a decision to put our men and women in harm's way without getting some necessary assurances," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

John Kerry at the end of a news conference at US embassy in Baghdad. Reuters image

"We can confirm that Iraq has provided acceptable assurances on the issue of protections for these personnel via the exchange of diplomatic note."
Earnest said the current situation differed from prevailing conditions at the end of 2011, making the less formal assurance of legal protections from Iraq more acceptable.
"We're dealing with an emergency situation ... there is an urgent need for these advisers to be able to do their work on the ground in Iraq," he said.
Earnest said the number of advisers contemplated for this mission was much smaller than the several thousand that had been contemplated for a post-Iraq force.
--End of updates for 23 June--
5:20 pm: Militants seize border post between Iraq and Syria
Sunni Arab militants have seized the Al-Waleed border crossing between Iraq and Syria, officers said on Monday of the second frontier post to fall in as many days, AFP reported.
The militants took the crossing on Sunday, and the security forces that had been guarding it headed south to join troops at another crossing with Jordan, a colonel and a captain in the border guards said.
4:53 pm: MEA says hostages safe; in touch with nurses
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin today said that the MEA is in touch with 46 nurses stranded in Tikrit as the government continued it's struggle to bring back those stuck in violence torn Iraq.
"There are 103 Indians in conflict zones. Company with the largest no of Indian nationals is in Najaf. There are around 2000 employees from India. We also got in touch with Indian agents who sent the Indian agents to work with the company in Najaf," Akbaruddin said.
He also said that some Indian nationals are not in the conflict zone but there are issues with their documents, visa or contracts. "We have received 300 requests of assistance of different sorts. 100 relate to evacuation. 100 requests are with regards to relatives not being able to contact those in Iraq. There are more than 500 people in Basra, but it is not close to the conflict zone," he said.
Affirming that the abducted workers were on top of the government's priority, Akbaruddin said that the abducted workers were unharmed. "We have already said there is no safety in captivity. That said we are trying to get information on them everyday," he said.
3:41 pm: Tal Afar falls to militants
The strategic Shiite-majority north Iraq town of Tal Afar has completely fallen to Sunni Arab militants after days of heavy fighting, a local official and witnesses said on Monday.
"The town of Tal Afar and the airport... are completely under the control of the militants," the official said on condition of anonymity.
2:17 pm: Sunni tribes gain control of border crossing between Iraq and Jordan
Sunni tribes took control of a border crossing between Iraq and Jordan late on Sunday after Iraq's army pulled out of the area following a clash with rebels, Iraqi and Jordanian intelligence sources said.
The major Turbail crossing was now in the hands of officials following orders from Sunni tribal fighters in Iraq's western Anbar province, the sources told Reuters on Monday.
1:45 pm: John Kerry arrives in Iraq for surprise visit
US Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Baghdad on a surprise trip to push for Iraqi unity and stability, as Sunni militants advanced in west Iraq after security forces retreated, AFP reported.
Flying in from Jordan on a visit which the State Department had sought to keep secret amid security concerns, Kerry was to meet with beleaguered Prime Minister Noori al-Maliki and Iraqi leaders across the political and communal spectrum.
Kerry "will discuss US actions underway to assist Iraq as it confronts this threat from ISIL and urge Iraqi leaders to move forward as quickly as possible with its government formation process to forge a government," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
1:34 pm: 23 killed as militants attack Iraqi convoy transporting detainees
Twenty-three detainees were killed during a militant attack on an Iraqi convoy transporting them south of Baghdad on Monday morning, officials said.
Seven gunmen also died in the ensuing clashes, according to a police captain and a doctor at a hospital in the town of Hashimiyah, in Babil province. It was not immediately clear how the detainees died.
It is the second instance of a large number of detainees being killed since the start of a militant offensive on June 9 that has overrun large areas of five different provinces, AFP reported.
12:00 pm: Is ISIS looking to target India?
The Times of India reported that militant group ISIS that has taken over a number of cities in Iraq in a lightening advance is aiming "to create an Islamic World Dominion of which even India would be a part."
According to the TOI report, the militant group recently released a map, which shows parts of North-west India, including Gujarat, part of a bigger caliphate called the "Islamic state of Khorasan." The outfit is likely to get help from Indian jihadists allegedly fighting in Iraq and Syria, and who will purportedly return to aid ISIS. Read the full report here.
11:25 am: Sushma Swaraj to meet Indian envoys of neighbouring countries
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will chair a meeting of Indian envoys of Iraq's neighbouring countries, to take stock of the escalating crisis in Iraq, Times Now reported. The crucial meeting is due to be held at 12 pm today, reports claimed.
--End of updates for June 21--
6:42 pm: Forces withdraw from three towns in the west
Iraqi forces have allegedly withdrawn from three towns in the western part of the country.
An AFP report quoted Lieutenant General Qassem Atta as saying, "The military units' withdrawal (from Al-Qaim, Rawa and Ana) was for the purpose of redeployment."
The report said that witnesses said insurgents moved into Rawa and Ana, in Anbar province, yesterday evening, after security officers and witnesses also reported militants entering Al-Qaim earlier in the day.
4:06 pm: Sunni militants capture another town in Anbar province
Iraqi officials say Sunni militants have seized another town in Iraq's western Anbar province, the fourth to fall in their hands since Friday.
They said the militants captured Rutba, about 150 kilometres east of the Jordanian border, late yesterday. Residents were today negotiating with the militants to leave after an army unit on the town's outskirts threatened to start shelling.
12:57 pm: ISIS to use abducted Indians as shields?
While one of the 40 abducted Indians have managed to escape. the other 39, reports suggest, may be used by ISIS as their defence in case of a military offensive.
The Hindustan Times reports an official as saying, "While there is little information on the other captives, in its conversations with Harjit Singh, now in the safe custody of Kurdish authorities in Erbil, the government has concluded that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant may use the Indians as their first line of defence"
9:10 am: 16 Indians rescued from violence-affected areas
Sixteen Indians stranded in violence-affected areas of Iraq have been evacuated and one of the 40 kidnapped Indians has escaped from captivity in Mosul town even as government said it was "knocking at all doors" to rescue its citizens.
As concerns mounted for the kidnapped Indians and 46 nurses trapped in Tikrit, Government said it was making all out efforts and was in touch with a number of countries in the region besides Iraqi authorities to resolve the crisis.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting which was attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh and heads of intelligence and security agencies. - PTI
Updates for 20 June end
9:07 pm: Abducted Indians alive and safe, says Red Cresent
Even as the Ministry of Home Affairs said that the abducted Indians were safe, the families of those kidnapped have some more good news.
NDTV reported International Red Crescent as saying the hostages were 'alive and in good condition'.
While the worried families have pleaded the government to get their loved ones back home safely, the government too has repeatedly assured them that they are doing everything for the safety of Indians in Iraq.
5:32 pm: 16 Indians rescued from strife-torn areas, says MEA
The Ministry of External Affair has now said that that 16 Indians have been rescued from violence hit areas in Iraq.
5:05 pm: Abducted Indians safe, says MEA
The Ministry of External Affairs said today that the Indians abducted in Iraq are safe.
"All Indians abducted in Iraq safe, those who want to return to India will be given monetary help if needed," the MEA said.
They also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi taken stock of the abduction of 40 Indians in Iraq and that it was a matter of high priority for them.
3:02 pm: Insurgents regrouping to launch fresh attack on refinery, says Army officer
The army officer in charge of protecting a key Iraqi refinery besieged by Sunni militants says he fears insurgents are regrouping to resume their assault on the key facility.
Col. Ali al-Qureishi said the latest attempt by fighters came late Thursday. Al-Qureishi told The Associated Press that he believed the militants were regrouping to launch a new attack.
There was no immediate way to independently verify al-Qureishi's claims.
11:48 am: Brent crude nears $115 a barrel in anticipation of supply disruption from Iraq
Brent crude held near $115 a barrel today, close to a nine-month high and headed for its second weekly gain on increased risks of supply disruptions from Iraq, Reuters reported.
Iraqi government forces battled Sunni militants for control of the country's biggest refinery on Thursday. If the 300,000 barrels per day refinery stays closed, Baghdad will need to import more oil products to meet its own domestic consumption, further tightening oil markets.

A U.S. Geological Survey satellite image shows smoke rising from the Baiji refinery near Tikrit, Iraq. Reuters/Landsat data courtesy of the US Geological Survey/Handout via Reuters

Fields south of Baghdad, where most of Iraq's 3.3 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil is produced, as well as exports remain unaffected. But heavy fighting north of the capital and foreign oil firms beginning to pull out staff pose a risk to supplies from OPEC's number two producer.
"This raises the risk of production halts in the near future, so although there are no disruptions at the moment, we do see further upside to prices," said Ken Hasegawa, a Tokyo-based commodity sales manager at Newedge Japan.
Brent crude slipped 8 cents to $114.98 a barrel at 0333 GMT, after ending 80 cents higher at $115.06 a barrel, the highest settlement since Sept. 9, 2013. The contract was up 1.3 percent for the week, after rising 4.4 percent last week.
The US crude oil contract, which expires on Friday, increased 27 cents to $106.70 a barrel. The contract settled 46 cents higher in the previous session, but was on course for a third weekly decline in four.
"Brent is at a high for the year, triggering some short covering and possibly adding further long positions," said Hasegawa. "The contract may go to a previous high of around $117.30 hit last August."
11:21 am: Hostage negotiations begin
International Humanitarian aid organisation the Red Crescent and the construction company Tariq Noor ul-Huda have made contact with ISIS militants seeking release of the 40 abducted Indian nationals, The Hindu reported.
"The informal negotiations centre on the release of the Indians, believed to be held by insurgents in a cotton factory near Mosul, and over a hundred other expatriates from South and East Asia," the report says.
11:00 am: India prepares for talks with abductors
ABP news reported that India is preparing to talk with the militants who have kidnapped 40 Indian construction workers in Mosul. "Former Indian ambassador to Iraq Suresh Reddy, who reached Baghdad this morning, will lead negotiations for India once contact is established with the abductors, senior officials revealed," the report says.
9:52 am: Centre ignored RAW's input about threat to Indians in Mosul
India's external intelligence agency the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) had alerted the government of India at least five days ago that Indians in Mosul are in danger, Deccan Chronicle reported. However, both the PMO and External Affairs Ministry ignored the input.
"It was further learnt that an alert of the possibility of 40 Indians being abducted by ISIS was conveyed to the Indian government on Monday," says the report in Deccan Chronicle.
The report also claimed that the nurses in Tikrit are continuing to perform daily duties in the hospital where they have been stranded. The hospital has been taken over by ISIS militants who purportedly said they would pay the nurses their normal wages and keep them safe.
8:59 am: Militants gain control of Iraq's chemical weapons complex
ISIS militants have gained control of Iraq's chemical weapons complex, CNN-IBN reported. According to the report, the seized plant contains old contaminated weapons.
8:22 am: One kidnapped Indian manages to escape
Hindustan Times reported today that one of the Indian workers abducted in Mosul has managed to escape and contacted officials at the Indian embassy in Baghdad.
The report quoted Iraqi Red Crescent’s president Dr Yaseen Abbass as saying: “He is safe and is currently in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil."
7:15 am: Kidnapped Indians safe, confirms Sushma Swaraj
The government confirmed kidnapped Indians in Mosul, Iraq are safe and there locations have been identified by Iraqi authorities. PTI reported.
"They are all safe and are lodged in two locations- a cotton mill and a government building," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told family members of some of the kidnapped Indians from Punjab who met her in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
"We are making all-out efforts to ensure that all Indians return safely. We are leaving no stone unturned and whosoever is to be contacted, we have activated all of them. We guarantee to bring them back the moment there is normalcy there," she told reporters.
Assuring the family members of the kidnapped men, she said, "I have asked them to be patient, pray to God and allow us to make our efforts. I am confident that all three things will help us achieve success."
Swaraj advised all those stranded in Iraq not to venture out of their homes.
End of Updates for 19 June
11: 00 pm: Obama issues statement on Iraq, says US will send 300 military advisers
Obama issued a statement on Iraq today. The United States President said that they will send up to 300 military advisers to Iraq and set up joint operation centers.
"Above all, Iraqi leaders must rise above their differences and come together around a political plan for Iraq’s future." he added.
"The United States will not pursue military options that support one sect inside of Iraq at the expense of another...The most important question we should all be asking…is what is in the national security interests of the United States." said the President in his statement.
7.40 pm: Ensure 46 nurses in Tikrit return safely, Chandy tells Modi
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that all steps are taken for the safe return of all Keralites, who wish to do so, from Iraq in the wake of the violence in the country.
"The centre should see that the 46 nurses who are in Tikrit region are facing difficulty and if need arises a special Air India aircraft be sent to bring them back. Also they have been asked to pay damages for breaking the contract and hence, the Indian Embassy should be alerted and also if necessary, agencies like the UN and the Red Cross," said Chandy in a letter to Modi.
Meanwhile speaking to IANS from Iraq's Basra, a carpenter from Kerala who has been there for the past 23 months, said they have informed the Indian embassy in Iraq that things are getting tough for them as their salaries are not being paid on time and with the situation fluid, they wish to return.
"We very rarely go out and what we are told is that at times there are gun-totting people moving up and down the streets. Things are getting scary and we have stopped working from Wednesday onwards.
7.05 pm: Jaya writes to Modi urging his personal intervention to rescue TN nurses
As 46 Indian nurses, including six from Tamil Nadu, are stranded in a hospital in strife-torn
Iraq, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally intervene in the issue and ensure their safe return home.
In a letter to Modi, she said "these nurses are innocent bystanders, rendering valuable service to the health system of Iraq. India and the international community at large are duty- bound to ensure their safety and to provide them a safe passage back to their homeland."
The nurses' families were extremely anxious about their safety, she said.
"I would be grateful if you could kindly intervene personally and take up the matter at the highest level in Iraq and with other international agencies including the United Nations and the Red Crescent to secure the safety and security of the Indian nurses, including the six from Tamil Nadu, and arrange for their safe passage back to India," she added.
Fortysix Indian nurses, including six from Tamil Nadu — Sini, Sili, Simi, Aleena, Neethu and Maneetha of the Nilgris, working in General Hospital at Tikrit in Iraq were stranded in the ongoing conflict in that country.
6.43 pm: Govt doing everything and more to rescue Indians, says Sushma Swaraj
After meeting Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj today said that India was in touch with every organisation possible to bring back Indians stranded in Iraq.
"We are in contact with every organisation possible to help us in our efforts to rescue Indians in Iraq. However, patience is essential. Not only are we doing what the government has to do but more. We are leaving no stone unturned to help them," ANI quoted Swaraj as saying.
Swaraj's statement comes right after the Ministry of External affairs announced that India is aware of the whereabouts of 40 nationals who were said to be abducted.
Swaraj said, "Situation in Iraq doesn't allow the other Indians to come back to India, but when the situation is neutral Government of India will take care of it."
4:00 pm: We now know the location of the abducted workers, says MEA
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said that the Iraqi government confirmed the abduction of the 40 Indian workers and that they have located the workers. "Foreign Ministry of Iraq has confirmed to us that they have been able to determine the location where the workers are being held captive," said Akbaruddin.
Akbaruddin also said that Suresh Reddy, former Indian ambassador to Iraq has reached Baghdad and is monitoring the situation. He also said that Minister for External Affair Sushma Swaraj had met with the crisis management group twice today and has been monitoring the situation personally. "She [Swaraj] also spoke to Punjab chief minister, deputy chief minister as well as Kerala chief minister, while Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) has had two conversations with the Iraqi ambassador," said Akbaruddin.
He also said that the government has not ruled out any steps that could be taken to ensure the safety to of Indians in Iraq. "We will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of Indian citizens," he said,
Akbaruddin also said that the Indian embassy in Iraq will remain open to assist other citizens who wish to leave the country. He also said that documentation for those who wish to return will not be an issue. "The lack of passports or other documents will not be a problem. We have helpline numbers where people can call and the Indian mission in Baghdad will continue to assist those who wish to get out of Iraq," he said.
He also said that all efforts were being made to keep in contact with Indians across Iraq, even in parts where the security situation is bad.
2:45 pm: Abducted workers call families, say they will be released unharmed
The Economic Times reported that several families of the 40 kidnapped men allegedly received calls from them. The abducted workers who called their families allegedly told them that they would be freed unharmed if the government of India gets in touch with their captors or comes to get them.
Charanjit Singh, brother of one of the abducted men who claimed his brother called him for two minutes to let him know he was safe. "He said he and his co-workers from India were all safe and not held hostage," ET quoted Singh as saying.
2:45 pm: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warns of "war in the Muslim world"
A Twitter account Iran experts believe is run by the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in comments apparently inspired by Iraq's turmoil, said on Thursday that Sunni militants wanted to bring about a war in the Muslim world.
A message posted in English on the account @khamenei_ir said such militants wanted to foment distrust between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, a goal they shared with "arrogant" powers - normally an Iranian codeword for the United States and its Western and Israeli allies, Reuters reported.
Referring to "takfiri" militants - Sunnis who proclaim followers of other sects of Islam to be infidels and therefore legitimate targets of holy war - the message said: "Muslims should be aware of Takfiris and arrogant's common goal to create a war in Muslim world - both Shias and Sunnis should be vigilant."
1:45 pm: 250-300 workers evacuated from Baiji refinery during brief truce in fighting
The last of the trapped workers in Iraq's Baiji refinery were freed during a brief truce in the fighting between the Iraqi military and Sunni militants for control of the strategic facility, according to one of the workers who was released.
There had been 15,800 workers at the refinery and 100 foreign experts, most of whom had left by Tuesday when the plant was shut down by the government in anticipation of the attack.
The workers were escorted out according to an arrangement brokered by local sheiks for the employees to be taken out on buses, the released worker said.
10.36 am: Will pay ransom if we have to, says Punjab CM
A delegation from Punjab will meet with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today to discuss the situation in Iraq and the kidnapping of 40 Indians from Mosul. Majority of those kidnapped belong to the state and surrounding regions.
Swaraj also said she would meet the kin of those abducted in Iraq. "I am monitoring the situation personally. We're doing everything in our power to bring the kidnapped citizens back," she said.
Meanwhile, the chief minister Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal also said that he would provide all assistance to ensure the safe return of those stranded in Iraq, Times Now reported. He also said he would pay the ransom amount if it would ensure the safety of the kidnapped Indians, he told CNN-IBN.
"Must prepare for search and evacuation. We have very good relations with the government of Iraq and they will help in every way possible," said former Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid.
9.00 am: Oil prices up with Iraq violence in focus
Oil prices rose in Asian trade Thursday with escalating violence in Iraq sharply in focus as militants attacked the major crude producer's biggest refinery and seized more territory.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for July rose 35 cents to $106.32 while Brent crude for August gained nine cents to $114.35 in late-morning trade, AFP reported.
WTI has jumped by more than $2.0 a barrel and Brent by over $4.0 since the escalation of the jihadist offensive last week.
"The escalation of the crisis in Iraq led to a sharp spike in crude prices," said Sanjeev Gupta, head of the Asia-Pacific oil and gas practice at professional services firm Ernst & Young.
"Together with the limited spare capacity due to drying up of supplies from Libya, any further escalation of the crises in the region can lead to a sharp spike in benchmark prices," he said.
Sunni fighters led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Wednesday launched an assault on the Baiji oil refinery -- Iraq's biggest -- spooking international oil markets.
Officials say security forces retain control of the refinery, but clashes are ongoing. Washington said it had not seen any major disruptions in Iraqi oil supplies as a result of the assault.
Most of Iraq's oil infrastructure is in the far south of the country, which has so far not been affected by the now nine-day insurgency.
Baghdad has called for US air strikes as the lightning offensive rapidly bears down on the capital.
7.54 am: Families of abducted workers to meet MEA officials
Families of the 40 Indian workers who were abducted from Mosul, Iraq, have left to Delhi to meet MEA officials, even as India makes efforts to find out more about the incident.
Yesterday MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin confirmed that 40 Indians had been kidnapped in the country, and said that while they were in touch with international agencies, they had no further information.
Meanwhile Iraq has asked the United States for air support in countering Sunni rebels, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday, after the militants seized major cities in a lightning advance that has routed the Shi'ite-led government's army.
But General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave no direct reply when asked at a congressional hearing whether Washington would agree to the request.
Baghdad said it wanted U.S. airstrikes as the insurgents, led by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, battled their way into the biggest oil refinery in Iraq and the president of neighbouring Iran raised the prospect of intervening in a sectarian war that threatens to sweep across Middle East frontiers.
-- end of updates for 18 June 2014 --
9.00 pm: Telangana approaches Centre to secure 600 in Iraq from state
There are about 600 people from Telangana in Iraq and the government is taking all steps to ensure their safety, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mehmood Ali said on Wednesday, according to a IANS report.
He said the state government was in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and was gathering information about those from Telangana feared trapped in Iraq.
Ali told reporters here that the government has so far identified 600 workers from Telangana. He said Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao was in regular touch with the Central government.

An Iraqi boy holds a weapon as he takes part in a gathering of Shiite tribesman. AFP image

Earlier, Information Technology Minister Tarakarama Rao said the government would take all necessary steps to safely bring back the Telanganites trapped in Iraq.
The state government has already opened a helpline in NRI cell to provide information about the workers from the state trapped in Iraq and to render assistance.
The helpline numbers opened in the state secretariat are 040-23220603 and 9440854433.
The state government has also asked all district collectors to find out if workers/migrants from their respective districts are trapped in Iraq and if they require any help including evacuation.
The collectors were asked to collect details like passport numbers, address in Iraq and contact numbers so that the state government can get in touch with the ministry of external affairs for assistance.
8.26 pm: Punjab CM meets Sushma over kidnappings
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has met Sushma Swaraj over the kidnapping of 40 Indians in Iraq's Mosul town.
Many of those kidnapped hail from Punjab, and their kin also approached the CM to ensure their rescue.
4.14 pm: 40 Indian workers in Mosul have been kidnapped, confirms MEA
MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin has confirmed that 40 Indians in Mosul have been abducted, based on information received from international agencies.
He said that this was a very difficult situation and that all steps were being taken to try and secure their release. Akbaruddin added that the Indian government had not received any information or any ransom demands. "Even the international Red Crescent is not aware of their location", he said.
Akbaruddin added that they had no idea who had carried out the abduction or the location where the workers were being held, adding that the priority at the moment was to establish contact and try and find as much information as possible.
Akbaruddin added that he was not in a position to give details or information on the procedural aspects of what the Indian government was doing, saying only that they were willing to work with all organisations and countries.
"We have not received any call of any nature from anyone indicating about ransom or about taking Indians in custody in Iraq," he added. 
As far as the welfare of the 40 Kerala nurses trapped in Tikrit are concerned, Akbaruddin said, "We have requested the Red Crescent to try and contact them and assure their security and welfare. Red Crescent said that they had gone met there and told them in the communication that it is not appropriate to take a surface route."
"As part of our planning (contingency planning unit in Delhi) we are working on a variety of options. Even if there are 1,2 5, 10 we are willing to assist to the best of our ability.
The MEA also said that there were no plans to shut down the Indian embassy in the country. "We are not fairweather friends - we will not shut down the embassy. Our former ambassador there  - Suresh Reddy - will go to Baghdad to further assist operations", he said.
1:57 pm: Sushma Swaraj calls kin of Punjabi youth stranded in Iraq 
The family members of the Punjabi youth stranded in Iraq on Wednesday received a call from Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj assuring her help in rescuing them.
Gurpinder Kaur, whose brother Maninder Singh is amongst those stranded in Iraq, told ANI that Sushma assured help and told her that she has been monitoring the situation herself.
Meanwhile, the Sensex closed 274 points lower at 25,246 than the previous day due to the Iraq crisis. Nifty was down by 73 points as fighting escalated through the day.
1:57 pm: Crisis bears signs of impending civil war, warns Saudi 
Saudi Arabia warned Wednesday of the risks of civil war in Iraq with unpredictable consequences for the region, after Sunni militants seized large areas from Shiite-led government forces.
The unrest in Iraq "carries warning signs of a civil war with unpredictable consequences for the region," Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said at the opening of an Islamic bloc meeting in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
12:24 pm: Militants attack main oil refinery
Militants launched an assault on Iraq's main oil refinery early Wednesday as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, an official and a refinery employee said.

AFP image

Clashes erupted at around 4:00 am at the Baiji oil refinery in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad, and militants destroyed some stores of oil after entering the complex, AFP reports.
Meanwhile, the Sensex fell by 180 points as soon as reports of attack on the refinery emerged.
11:10 am: US and Iran hold talks over the situation in Iraq
According to the Guardian, "US and Iranian officials held talks over the advance of Islamist insurgents in Iraq, the first time the two nations have collaborated over a common security interest in more than a decade. The discussions in Vienna took place on the sidelines of separate negotiations about Iran’s nuclear programme."
The US is also considering send in more troops to protect its embassy and civilians in Iraq. According to Associated Press, US is urgently deploying several hundred armed troops in and around Iraq and considering sending an additional contingent of special forces soldiers as Baghdad struggles to repel a rampant insurgency, even as the White House insists anew that America will not be dragged into another war.
President Barack Obama notified Congress Monday that up to 275 troops could be sent to Iraq to provide support and security for US personnel and the American Embassy in Baghdad.
11:00 am:  According to CNN, ISIS is now advancing towards another key Iraqi city: Baquba 
The CNN report says that gun battles have erupted in the city, Baquba, which is "only a 45-minute drive from the capital". "According to a Baquba police official and an official in the Baquba governor's office, militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, have "made a great advance on Baquba" and are pushing very hard to take it, but the city has not fallen," adds the report.
9:30 am: Telangana govt opens helpline for information on workers trapped in Iraq
The Telangana government has opened a helpline in its NRI cell to provide information about workers from the state trapped in Iraq and to render assistance. Telangana CM K Chandrasekhara Rao asked his ministers to be aware of the situation in Iraq. The helpline numbers opened in the state secretariat are 040-23220603 and 09440854433.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao has asked Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma to be in touch with the external affairs ministry to know the latest situation in the strife-torn Iraq, IANS reported.
The state government has also asked all district collectors to find out if workers or migrants from their districts are trapped in Iraq and if they require any help, including evacuation.
The collectors were asked to gather details like passport numbers, addresses in Iraq and contact numbers so that the state government can get in touch with the external affairs ministry for assistance.
9:00 am: Indians stranded in Mosul cannot be contacted: Foreign Ministry
About 40 Indians stranded in Mosul cannot be contacted, the Ministry of External Affairs told NDTV. Syed Akbaruddin, ministry of external affairs spokesperson said that government has been unable to establish contact with the workers.
MEA also said that there have been "no reports of any Indians being targetted."
Meanwhile nurses stranded in Tikrit are safe but remain trapped within hospital premises. "We are literally prisoners within the hospital premises. There are no Iraqi employees here," one of the nurses, Marina Jose told NDTV. "We are afraid because we have no security here. All the military, police, everybody escaped from here. Only we are here," she said.
8:30 am: ISIL militants abduct 40 Indian workers in Mosul
Around 40 Indians working near Mosul in Iraq have been allegedly kidnapped by ISIS militants while they were being evacuated from the area, the Times of India reported online.
According to the TOI report, former ambassador to Iraq Suresh Reddy has been sent to Mosul. "Sources in the government said the PM has asked all sources to be tapped for locating the workers. National security advisor AK Doval is coordinating the rescue effort."

Photo of recent violence in Iraq. Reuters image

Last week, Sunni and Kurdish militants captured key cities and towns in Iraq in a brisk onslaught. Later, militants captured and killed several Iraqi security personnel. The grisly killings, which were photographed and posted on social media drew sharp reactions from world leaders including the West evacuating embassy staff.
Apart from the 41 construction workers in Mosul, there are 46 Indian nurses stranded in Tikrit — most of them are from Kerala.
On Monday, India had voiced its strongly condemnation of attacks by terrorist outfits in Iraq, saying that the takeover of cities such as Mosul and Tikrit was a direct threat to security and territorial integrity of the West Asian country.
On Tuesday, Baquba, capital of Diyala province, 60 km from Baghdad, saw Sunni militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) take control of several districts on the western outskirts of the city before government troops and allied Shia militia regained control, according to reports.
The US and Iran are actively considering ways to help the Iraqi government tackle the situation.