terrorist

The 300 metres separating Aisha Ali’s new house from the old farmhouse may seem short, but it represents the long journey of her life. The 45-year-old widow crosses fields of various crops that she tends. 

Aisha was not an active farmer; her late husband handled that. However, he was abducted in 2023 by Boko Haram terrorists while working on their farm in Malari Village, Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, and was later killed after they failed to pay a ransom. 

“My life changed tragically,” she recounted with a weary calm. 

Aisha’s husband’s death made her the breadwinner of a 10-person household, which included her six children and three of her husband’s siblings. She had no choice but to take up the hoe. 

A year later, her 10-year-old son was abducted by terrorists. He was later released when they learned that they had killed his father in the past.

It was under this constant shadow of fear, relying on subsistence farming and petty trade, that Aisha and her family found a fragile balance until the night the water came.

The midnight escape

In September 2024, a ruptured dam in nearby Alau, coupled with heavy rainfall, led to floods that submerged Maiduguri and surrounding communities, including Muna displacement camp, where Aisha lived with her family. 

They had gone to bed after an exhausting day, but around midnight, screams from the neighbours woke them up. “I woke up and saw water everywhere,” she recounted. 

Amid the terrifying mix of darkness and rising water, there was no time to save their belongings. She rallied her children, strapped the youngest to her back, and fled into the downpour. 

Together with other displaced persons, they walked for hours until they found dry land, where they stayed until dawn. When the water subsided, Aisha returned to find her entire life washed away. “We became homeless without our belongings,” she said.

A doorless shelter and hope

Staying at the displacement camp was not an option, as the government had already planned to shut it down. “Returning to Dubula, our ancestral home, was not an option either,” she said 

Aisha looked for shelter nearby and found one on credit—an uncompleted building. The structure had no doors, leaving her family vulnerable to constant theft. What few items they acquired were often stolen when they stepped out, turning their temporary shelter into a trap of insecurity. The widow, who had survived both Boko Haram and the flood, now faced the demoralising grind of daily survival in an exposed space.

Since there was no other alternative, they continued living in the building.

Aisha said it was overwhelming, but she held onto hope and did the best she could to care for her children. Weeks later, SOS Children’s Village, a global humanitarian organisation, visited the community for an assessment. “When they came around, I initially dismissed them for one of those numerous NGOs that normally come around to take our data but offer nothing much but some measures of grains,” Aisha told HumAngle. However, she registered with them as a widow and head of her household. 

SOS returned with support that Aisha describes as “an investment in dignity”. She underwent training in smart farming techniques, followed by a starter kit of essential tools: a pumping machine for irrigation, a spraying machine, insecticides, fertiliser, a wheelbarrow, and processed seeds.

“This support transformed our lives and brought relative comfort to us,” she added.

The first harvest 

With the implements, cash support, and farming inputs, Aisha got to work. She cultivated beans, pepper, tomato, okra, onion, and yams. 

She made her first harvest this farming season. “I was able to use the money from my first farm harvest to escape the unsafe shed,” she said, adding that she paid ₦30,000 for half a year’s rent on their current house. Her family now has enough food, and the surplus is sold to cover essential needs like medication.

“I am most excited that for the first time, my children are now in school—something we could not afford before,” she told HumAngle. 

Aisha explained that her income varies depending on what she takes to the market and how much she can harvest. “There is no fixed amount,” she said. “For beans, a full ‘mudu’ — that’s a standard measuring bowl — sells for between ₦1,200 and ₦1,300. Sometimes I sell up to half a bag, which is about 20 mudus. For tomatoes, a basket goes for about ₦25,000, and we usually get two or three baskets, depending on the yield.”

She hopes that the cycle of loss and disaster has finally been broken. 

“I thank the SOS people for coming to our aid because only God knows the fate that would have befallen me and my family if I had not received their support. They didn’t come to give us fish, but they came to teach us fishing,”  she said. 

Aisha said other women also received the support: “I saw them during the training, and I believe they are doing well with their families as well.”

According to Fredson Ogbeche, the Humanitarian Action Manager at SOS Children’s Village Nigeria, “One hundred families, many headed by women transforming grief into drive just like Aisha, benefitted from the intervention.”

One of the women, Aisha Bukar, is also a widow. The 55-year-old lives in the Elmiskin 2 area of Jere LGA, Borno State. Life has been a relentless succession of personal loss as she has buried seven of her 12 children over the years due to the conflict and lost her husband to a prolonged illness. This overwhelming hardship was compounded last year when destructive floodwaters swept through her home. Having lost everything in the flood, she had to start all over again. 

“What the government offered as a palliative for the flood survivors did not go around to many of us. We were almost stranded until SOS came to assist us,” she said. 

SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria is one of the humanitarian organisations that provided post-flooding recovery support for survivors. Aside from the farm implements and inputs, the organisation gave ₦395,000 to each beneficiary. 

Bukar did not go to the farm. She used the funding to meet domestic needs and also started a tailoring business where they mass-produce and sell children’s clothes.

She said that the steady income has given her daughter a second chance at education. 

Footage shows FBI and state police vehicles in Dearborn, Michigan, near Fordson High School, conducting an investigation. This comes after FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post that multiple people allegedly plotting a violent “terrorist” Halloween weekend attack were arrested.

Oct. 31 (UPI) — Paraguayan President Santiago Peña has signed a decree designating Brazil’s criminal groups Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital, or PCC, as terrorist organizations “because of their actions that threaten Paraguay’s national sovereignty and institutional stability.”

The decree says the designation aligns with a state policy reaffirming the country’s commitment to democracy, the rule of law and national sovereignty. It also allows for tougher penalties and strengthens international cooperation on security and extradition.

“For us, there is no doubt that these are criminal groups seeking to destabilize countries, and we must confront them,” Peña said on TV Paraguay.

The move follows a major operation by Brazil’s state police targeting organized crime in two Rio de Janeiro favelas, which left more than 120 people dead, many of them believed to be members of Comando Vermelho. Brazilian authorities described it as one of the deadliest anti-crime operations in recent years.

In response, Paraguay’s National Defense Council ordered the highest level of alert along the entire border with Brazil and instructed the armed forces, National Police and Migration Directorate to increase personnel and resources to bolster national security.

Authorities also announced coordination with security forces from Brazil and Argentina to conduct joint patrols and surveillance operations at border crossings and transit zones to prevent members of those criminal groups from entering the country.

Interior Minister Enrique Riera said the operational plan is underway, prioritizing intelligence work, drone-based aerial surveillance and coordination between military and police units.

The plan also calls for intensifying efforts against smuggling and organized crime, especially at the end of the year.

Riera added that security will be reinforced at prisons housing members of these criminal organizations.

According to Paraguayan media, both criminal organizations have a strong presence along the Paraguay-Brazil border, where they operate networks involved in drug and arms trafficking and money laundering.

The PCC has been operating in Paraguay for more than a decade, with a history of prison riots and executions, while Comando Vermelho has also expanded its influence in recent years, particularly in the country’s northern region, the Paraguayan newspaper ABC reported.

Police in Dearborn, Michigan, confirmed FBI operations had been conducted in the area, without offering details.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States has announced that it disrupted an alleged “terrorist attack” in the northern state of Michigan.

Few details were released about the operation or the suspects involved. In a social media post on Friday, FBI Director Kash Patel pledged to reveal more information later on.

“This morning the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested multiple subjects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend,” he wrote.

“Thanks to the men and women of FBI and law enforcement everywhere standing guard 24/7 and crushing our mission to defend the homeland.”

Patel did not specify which part of Michigan the FBI operation took place in. But in a separate social media post on Friday, the police department for the city of Dearborn noted that FBI agents had been active in its community.

It is unclear whether their presence pertained to the same operation or a different one.

“The Dearborn Police Department has been made aware that the FBI conducted operations in the city of Dearborn earlier this morning,” the department wrote. “We want to assure our residents that there is no threat to the community at this time.”

Located in southeast Michigan, near Detroit, Dearborn is known as the headquarters for the Ford Motor Company, and it is the first city in the US to have an Arab American majority.

The Detroit Free Press, a Michigan newspaper, reported there were also FBI operations in Inkster, another suburb of Detroit.

This is a developing story. More details to come.

Earlier this year, Ya Jalo Mustapha stayed with her two sons, Ali and Bor, in Njimiya, a village in Sambisa Forest, Borno State, North East Nigeria, an area under the governance of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). 

In Njimiya, as in other villages under its control, ISWAP’s authority is absolute — enforced through rules, fear, and constant surveillance.

One day, Ya Jalao’s sons went out and never returned. No one could say where they had gone or whether they were alive. In the weeks that followed, rumours spread that some men from nearby settlements had been seized by the military during raids.

Such disappearances are not uncommon in Borno State, where years of insurgency have blurred the lines between civilians and suspects. In one well-known case, 42 men from Gallari village were arrested by the military on suspicion of being Boko Haram members and detained for 12 years without trial; only three were recently released. Other times, the insurgents also abduct and forcibly recruit young men. 

In October, five months after their disappearance, Ya Jalo’s daughters-in-law remarried Boko Haram terrorists. 

Stranded with her four grandchildren, Ya Jalo knew she could not remain in Njimiya. Her eleven-year-old granddaughter, Magana, was next in line to be forced into marriage. “A suitor was already chosen for her,” Ya Jalo told HumAngle. “I was at the risk of losing her, too.”

Staying in the villages is rarely a sign of loyalty. For most families, it is because they risk execution if they flee, while staying at least allows them to eat from their farms.

Every day brought a deeper fear for Ya Jalo. She worried that her grandsons would slowly absorb the teachings of the insurgents. With no schooling except the sermons of Boko Haram, the risk of their indoctrination weighed heavily on her.

She kept her plan secret until the morning of her escape. That day, Ya Jalo informed neighbours that she was visiting a relative in a nearby settlement with her grandchildren. That began the three-day trek to Bama town. They travelled through bush paths, walking mostly at dawn and dusk until they reached the camp. 

“The journey was full of risks and uncertainty,” she said. “Even the children don’t know where we’re heading.” They eventually arrived. 

A different kind of struggle

For families fleeing Boko Haram-held villages, arriving at the Bama IDP Camp feels like stepping out of a nightmare. Many come with the hope that they are walking into safety, a place where food, shelter, and healing will finally be waiting. 

But what they find is a different struggle altogether. The displacement camp has exceeded its capacity, with hundreds of people living there. In early 2025, the government relocated about 3,000 persons to Dar Jamal, a small fraction that barely reduced the camp’s congestion. 

New arrivals, like Ya Jalo, often sleep in the open because no shelters are available. Since she was with children, Ya Jalo moved in with a relative who lives nearby. 

At the camp, individuals are required to register with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), which forwards the information to ZOA International. The organisation provides breakfast and lunch for five days and a cash token of ₦11,450 per person for three months. 

However, there is no provision for education, healthcare, and psychosocial support.  

Several others who are fleeing their homes for refuge at the camps are confronted with this reality. “We thought this would be a place to rest, but it is only another kind of struggle,” Hajja Kura lamented. She fled Zarmari in October, another Boko Haram stronghold, in early July to the Bama displacement camp.

The absence of proper shelter and long-term care leaves many returnees questioning whether their escape was worthwhile. Some, disillusioned, quietly return to their villages, where the danger of insurgents still lurks.

Children at risk

In Bama, Ya Jalo’s fears for her grandchildren continue in new ways. She often worries about how years of exposure to insurgent preaching may have shaped their minds.

“The children are like wet clay,” said Abba Kura, a community leader at Bama. “Whoever holds them first will shape them. In many of those villages, it was Boko Haram who held them first.”

The effect is visible across the camp. When HumAngle visited, ten-year-old Modu Abbaye recalled lessons he learned in the forest. “Boko Haram are kind,” he said. “They always preach to us not to cheat people, to be kind, and not to insult others.”

Even though the group killed his parents and his friend’s father, a schoolteacher, Modu still speaks of them with a child’s innocence. He has never attended a formal school and insists he never will because “it is forbidden”.

“I don’t want to go to school,” said Modu. He lives with a relative at the camp.

Due to the absence of structured education and psychological support at the camps, many children remain caught between conflicting identities, victims and vessels of the very ideology that uprooted them.

“Children growing up in displacement camps or conflict zones suffer disrupted education, delayed development, and persistent anxiety. They often struggle to imagine futures beyond survival,” said Mohammad Usman Bunu, an educator at Future Prowess School for displaced and vulnerable children in Maiduguri.

For Ya Jalo, that future feels uncertain too. As she watches her grandchildren adjust to life outside of their hometown, she is haunted by the same questions: what kind of lives will they build without their fathers and mothers, and will they ever know peace again? Her thoughts often drift to Ali and Bor, the sons who vanished months earlier.

“I also came here to wait for news of my sons,” she said. “I feel closer to them in Bama. I believe they are with the military, and one day I will be reunited with them.”

In Borno’s camps, stories like hers echo everywhere. Families are displaced, divided, and still holding on to hope that the war has not taken everything from them.

Forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), supported by local militias and Ugandan troops, repelled an early morning attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) on the mining hub of Manguredjipa in North Kivu province on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.

The assault, which began around 5:30 a.m., targeted the town located 100 kilometres west of Butembo in Lubero territory. Locals told HumAngle that the ADF rebels were first sighted at the Ngoma Institute in DRC, with sources saying the assailants approached from a farm in Mangingi, a peripheral quarter of Manguredjipa.

A priest from the St. Joseph Catholic Parish in Manguredjipa noted that the coalition forces were present “in large numbers” and quickly pursued the attackers. “Until 7 a.m. this morning, gunfire was still being heard in Manguredjipa,” the priest revealed.

A local of the Brazza area corroborated the swift action, saying, “They were not lucky to reach the centre of the town, because they arrived near a position of the Wazalendu, and the FARDC were on alert.” 

Clashes were ongoing in the area where the rebels had invaded when HumAngle spoke to locals.

The incursion triggered a rapid displacement of residents from the southeastern area of Manguredjipa, including Brazza, Mangingi, and Matonge, who sought refuge in the town’s centre. Military analysts suggest the ADF aimed for the city’s commercial heart and a nearby health facility. While official casualty figures remain unknown, residents have reported one civilian fatality. A young man was hit by a bullet while fleeing his Mangingi quarter towards the centre of the town.

The ADF offensive on Manguredjipa follows clashes just the day before. On Monday, October 27, 2025, a coalition of FARDC, Wazalendo, and UPDF forces engaged ADF rebels spotted in N’tembe, a village ten kilometres from Manguredjipa.

One resident, Nelson, believes the Monday fighting was a prelude to the attack on the town. “We heard gunfire throughout the day on Monday, and the group of assailants targeted the position of our forces to get to Manguredjipa,” he said, adding that the daylight timing of the successful defence likely averted a greater tragedy. “God helping, they arrived in the town by daybreak. If they had arrived at night, we should have counted several deaths, especially as heavy rain fell in the town during the night.”

Oct. 8 (UPI) — The U.S. military has killed a senior member of an Al-Qaida-affiliated terrroist group in Syria, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.

Muhammad Abd-al-Wahhab al-Ahmad was killed Thursday in a U.S. CENTCOM airstrike, the exact location in Syria was not made public.

“U.S. forces in the Middle East remain postured to disrupt and defeat efforts by terrorists to plan, organize and conduct attacks,” Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement.

“We will continue to defend our homeland, warfighters, allies and partners throughout the region.”

CENTCOM identified al-Ahmad as an “attack planner” with Ansar al-Islam, a military group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States in March 2004.

According to the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations think tank, Ansar al-Islam, meaning Supporters of Islam, is a militant Islamic Kurdish separatist movement that seeks to reshape Iraq as an Islamic state and was reportedly formed in 2001 with support from al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden.

The air strike comes a little under two months since CENTCOM forces killed a senior ISIS member and key financier in a northern Syria raid on Aug. 19.

In late February, CENTCOM forces killed a senior military leader of the Al-Qaida-affiliated Hurras al-Din terrorist group in an airstrike in northwest Syria.

ANOTHER wife of the Manchester synagogue terrorist said the attacker “raped” her and lied about being married with a child.

The woman, whose identity is being protected, told how Jihad Al-Shamie abused her mentally and sexually after they first met on Muslim dating app Muzz.

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She had converted to Islam in 2012, ten years before meeting Al-Shamie.

The woman became trapped in a volatile cycle in which he would flip between being “vile” and then “nice” to draw her back in to their on-and-off relationship.

Eventually, Al-Shamie told the woman he was married and had a son, but confessed to keeping them secret.

In text messages seen by the M.E.N, he wrote: “I didn’t tell u because I really like you and wanted u to be my 2nd wife.”

But Al-Shamie told her men can have four wives in Islamic culture and that his first wife “accepts” it.

Within a month of entering into a relationship with him, the pair married in January 2022.

The woman said their Islamic ceremony took place over a video call because of Covid restrictions.

But the marriage was soon filled with coercive and controlling behaviour.

She claimed Al-Shamie raped her, but she did not report it to police.

The attacker’s abuse is laid out in Facebook messages between the couple.

He tells her: “Good luck getting any guy to deal with your rubbish.”

And: “You’re not worth it and I can do better – don’t need someone with your baggage and mental issues.”

To try and win her back, Al-Shamie would promise grand gestures, such as buying a property close to where she lived, although these never came into fruition.

The woman told M.E.N she thought she loved him at the beginning of their partnership.

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“He was caring and understanding and didn’t judge my kids for their needs,” she said.

“He would say ‘I love you, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that’. He was controlling and abusive.

“He did rape me multiple times, but to us we just fulfil what our husband’s say.

“He was one of them where you have got to do it there and then.”

She categorized their relationship as “his way or no way” and described him as constantly being “pushy” – telling her wives had to “obey” their husbands.

The Sun previously reported how Al-Shamie was a teenage drop-out who smoked weed and was obsessed with violent video games.

A former friend told The Sun on Sunday that killer Al-Shamie would smoke around 2g of strong skunk a day when he was a teen and frequently felt the wrath of his parents.

His obsession led him to dropping out of Liverpool John Moores University a year into his English, media and cultural studies degree course in 2011.

Meanwhile neighbours said he would spend his time lifting weights in his garage or wander around in his pyjamas and flip flops.

The woman also reflected this portrayal in her tales of Al-Shamie, who she claimed was always “between jobs” and “living with his parents”.

After their relationship ended, the last time Al-Shamie contacted her was April earlier this year, but she ignored him.

The woman also recalled her horror when she discovered he had committed the Manchester synagogue terror attack.

“My first thought was just ‘why’. He would never preach anything. The only thing he would do was pray,” she said.

“He never showed me, or said anything about, terrorism, or joining anything. It was all about the mosque and praying.”

This comes as another wife of Al-Shamie also came forward with her story after meeting him on the same Muslim dating app.

Born in Syria, Al-Shamie was granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around 16, having entered the UK as a young child.

The 35-year-old was on police bail accused of rape when he carried out the car and knife terror attack in Manchester on October 2.

He claimed to be a devout father but cheated on his wife and married a second woman days after meeting her, The Telegraph reported.

The newspaper said that he met a young woman from Manchester after the Covid lockdown.

It’s believed that he moved in with the woman and her family in May 2022 and they married in an Islamic ceremony.

But he was unfaithful and used a dating app to meet several other women.

Al-Shamie’s first marriage reportedly fell apart six months ago after he married a second woman – but it is not known if this was legal.

Elizabeth Davis, 46, is said to have married the killer in secret and only told her family about him only after the synagogue attack.

A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Liz converted to Islam four years ago.

“Her conversion caused tensions with her family, they say she became a totally different person after that.

“She stopped communicating with relatives and friends.

“It was like she had been brainwashed.

“The family only found out that she had got married to Al-Shamie after the synagogue attack on Thursday.

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“The family are horrified that she has been involved with someone like that.

“It’s possible she got married to him in an Islamic law ceremony.”

Another woman said she was just 18 when she dated Al-Shamie, who she said lied to her about his age.

He told her he was in his mid-twenties and reportedly encouraged her to watch “extreme videos”.

During their four-month relationship, she said he hit her and ordered her to dress more conservatively.

She even said he referenced possibly wanting to join the Islamic State.

She said he stalked her and told her about his rape fantasises.

The Times reported that Al-Shamie used fake name on his dating app accounts but kept getting banned because of his “speech and what he was sending”.

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AN EX-girlfriend of the Manchester synagogue attacker was forced to watch Isis terror videos, she has claimed.

Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, unleashed terror outside Manchester’s Heaton Park synagogue on Thursday, leaving two dead and three more in hospital.

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The seven-minute knife rampage took place on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar – Yom Kippur – with the killer then shot dead by cops.

A former partner has now claimed she was groomed by Al-Shamie and forced into a “controlling relationship”.

The pair, who met on a Muslim dating app, were in a relationship for four months before she left him over his extremist views, and moved from the UK.

She claimed Al-Shamie told her he wanted to join Isis and also pressured her to become “dedicated to the cause”.

She said: “He used to sit there and make me watch videos – like extreme videos – that I had no interest in.

“I am Muslim and of course I love to learn more. But this stuff was things that I have been raised to not agree with.

“He used to always say I was taught the wrong way and I wasn’t taught right. He was basically just trying to groom me into what he thought.”

Meanwhile, as reported by The Mail on Sunday, it has been revealed one of the women arrested by cops over the synagogue attack was an NHS Mental health peer support worker.

The 46-year-old is a white British woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, and neighbours claimed she had recently converted to Islam.

“I was doing such a course, and she told me she was a peer support worker herself,” said one local.

“She said she travelled to Manchester for her shifts at a hospital.”

Al-Shamie is also believed to have been married to a British Pakistani woman in Manchester.

It is understood they share a two-year-old child, but are no longer in a relationship.

A former friend of Al-Shamie also revealed he was teenage drop-out who smoked weed and was obsessed with violent video game Street Fighter.

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The friend told The Sun on Sunday that killer Al-Shamie would smoke around 2g of strong skunk a day when he was a teen and frequently felt the wrath of his parents.

And he said he spent hours in his bedroom playing the computer game using the name “Jiji”.

His obsession led to Al-Shamie dropping out of Liverpool John Moores University a year into his English, media and cultural studies degree course in 2011.

The former pal said: “He was a bit of a rebellious wild child. He got into a lot of trouble with his parents. He used to smoke cannabis from an early age.

“He would spend a lot of time practising Street Fighter, like obsessively practising this computer game. He was very good at it, to the point where he competed a couple of times in competitions.”

The source added: “It was probably why he dropped out of uni.

“He was spending too much time smoking weed, working out and playing video games.”

He added: “His personality type, he would latch on to one thing and get buried deep into it. The only thing I can think of is that he’s done that but with radical religion.”

Al-Shamie, whose name is said to translate as “struggle of the Syrian” became “reclusive” after dropping out of education and started to practice Islam around 2018.

Neighbours said he would spend his time lifting weights in his garage or wander around in his pyjamas and flip flops.

The pal, who lost touch with him, said: “I heard he became a bit reclusive and appeared to be very into his faith, which surprised me as he was never that kind of guy.

“There were some concerns about his mental health. I don’t know if he ever got professional help.”

He said he was worried Al-Shamie would go down a “rabbit hole”, adding: “He had an addictive personality. My suspicion is that he ended up self-radicalising.”

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Al-Shamie moved to the UK from Syria with his family when he was a young child and was granted British citizenship in 2006.

His father Faraj is a trauma doctor who later divorced his mother Formoz and moved to France.

This comes as four people arrested in connection with the synagogue terror attack will remain in custody for extra questioning.

Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed in the rampage before Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed cops.

Six people have now been arrested on terror charges following the chaos.

Cops confirmed they have been granted custody extensions to hold four people detained in connection with the attack on the Crumpsall synagogue for a longer amount of time.

Two men, aged 30 and 32, as well as a 61-year-old woman arrested in Farnworth will remain in custody for “up to a further five days”.

The force added how an 18-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man, also arrested in Farnworth, remain in custody for questioning.

Greater Manchester Police said: “We have been granted warrants of further detention for four individuals currently in custody.

“This means they can remain in custody for up to a further five days.

“Everyone in custody has been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.”

Everyone in custody has been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.

Al-Shamie first drove into worshippers at the Heaton Park synagogue at 9.30am on Thursday morning.

He also stabbed terrified members of the public while wearing a fake “bomb vest” – killing Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53.

Four others were injured in the horror.

Counter-terrorism officers have since revealed the attacker was likely influenced by “extreme Islamist ideology”.

A statement from Greater Manchester Police read: “We believe Al-Shamie may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology.

“Establishing the full circumstances of the attack is likely to take some time.  

“We have now arrested three further people, one man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s.

“This brings the number of people in custody arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism to six.”

Al-Shamie was not known counter-terrorism agencies but had previous convictions.

It is not known when the alleged rape took place but the attacker was under investigation by Greater Manchester Police at the time.

GMP confirmed to The Sun Online al-Shamie was arrested but had been released pending investigation.

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KILLER Jihad Al-Shamie secretly “married” an NHS nurse who converted to Islam, a source said.

Elizabeth Davis, 35, is said to have told her family about him only after the synagogue attack.

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Al-Shamie’s first marriage reportedly fell apart six months ago.

The Sun on Sunday cannot confirm if mum-of-five Elizabeth, of Bolton, was legally his second wife.

A source said: “Liz converted to Islam four years ago.

“Her conversion caused tensions with her family, they say she became a totally different person after that.

“She stopped communicating with relatives and friends.

“It was like she had been brainwashed.

“The family only found out that she had got married to Al-Shamie after the synagogue attack on Thursday.

“The family are horrified that she has been involved with someone like that.

“It’s possible she got married to him in an Islamic law ceremony.”

Al-Shamie was on bail after being arrested on suspicion of rape and was due to appear in court.

The move will enable asset seizures and prosecutions of Bishnoi gang, which has been accused of targeting Sikh activists abroad.

Canada has formally declared India’s Bishnoi gang a “terrorist” organisation, giving authorities the power to freeze assets, block funding, and prosecute members under “anti-terrorism” laws.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced the designation on Monday, saying the gang had instilled fear within Indian diaspora communities across the country.

“Specific communities have been targeted for terror, violence and intimidation by the Bishnoi Gang. Listing this group of criminal terrorists gives us more powerful and effective tools to confront and put a stop to their crimes,” said Anandasangaree.

Ottawa stressed that “acts of violence and terror have no place in Canada, especially those that target specific communities to create a climate of fear and intimidation.”

The gang, run by jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, is described by Canadian officials as a transnational criminal syndicate operating largely from India but with a presence in Canada.

Bishnoi, 32, has been imprisoned for a decade in India but is accused of directing a network of hundreds of members engaged in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, extortion, and targeted killings.

Canadian police have previously alleged that Indian intelligence services used Bishnoi associates to carry out killings and violent intimidation of supporters of the Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent state for the Sikh minority in the Indian state of Punjab, abroad.

India dismissed the claims, accusing Ottawa of failing to provide evidence and of ignoring repeated extradition requests for Bishnoi-linked suspects.

The Canadian government says the “terrorist” listing not only allows property and funds tied to the gang to be seized but also strengthens law enforcement’s ability to disrupt recruitment, financing, and international travel linked to the gang’s operations.

Political pressure has been mounting on Ottawa, with opposition leaders and provincial premiers in Alberta and British Columbia demanding tougher measures against the gang. Canada is home to more than 770,000 Sikhs, accounting for about 2 percent of Canada’s population.

‘A strong signal to India’

The Bishnoi gang’s notoriety has grown amid wider diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi. The assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Vancouver-area gurdwara in June 2023 threw the issue into sharp relief.

Canada accused Indian officials of directing intelligence to “criminal organisations like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang” to silence critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government abroad – an allegation India rejected.

New Delhi insists Ottawa has ignored more than two dozen extradition requests for Bishnoi members and continues to shield individuals wanted for crimes in India.

Despite the deep rift, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s national security adviser, Nathalie Drouin, said last week that Indian officials had pledged to cooperate in ongoing investigations and agreed to refrain from cross-border repression.

WASHINGTON — President Trump said early Thursday that he plans to designate antifa as a “major terrorist organization.”

Antifa, short for “anti-fascists,” is an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups and is not a singular entity. They consist of groups that resist fascists and neo-Nazis, especially at demonstrations.

It’s unclear how the administration would label what is effectively a decentralized movement as a terrorist organization, and the White House on Wednesday did not immediately offer more details.

Trump, who is on a state visit to the United Kingdom, made the announcement in a social media post shortly before 1:30 a.m. Thursday local time. He called antifa a “SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER.”

He also said he will be “strongly recommending” that funders of antifa be investigated.

Antifa is a domestic entity and, as such, is not a candidate for inclusion on the State Department’s list of foreign terror organizations. Dozens of groups, including extremist organizations like Islamic State and Al Qaeda, are included on that list. The designation matters in part because it enables the Justice Department to prosecute those who give material support to entities on that list even if that support does not result in violence.

There is no domestic equivalent to that list in part because of broad 1st Amendment protections enjoyed by organizations operating within the United States. And despite periodic calls, particularly after mass shootings by white supremacists, to establish a domestic terrorism law, no singular statute now exists.

In an exchange with reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said he would pursue a domestic terrorism designation for antifa if such a move had the support of Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi and others in his Cabinet.

“It’s something I would do, yeah,” Trump said. ”I would do that 100%. Antifa is terrible.”

Wednesday night, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) praised Trump’s announcement, saying: “Antifa seized upon a movement of legitimate grievances to promote violence and anarchy, working against justice for all. The President is right to recognize the destructive role of Antifa by designating them domestic terrorists.”

In July 2019, Cassidy and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced a resolution in the Senate to condemn the violent acts of antifa and to designate the group a domestic terror organization.

In 2020, in the midst of the George Floyd protests, Trump also raised the idea of designating antifa as a terror organization.

Trump’s previous FBI director, Christopher Wray, said in testimony that year that antifa is an ideology, not an organization, lacking the hierarchical structure that would usually allow it to be designated as a terror group by the federal government.

Kim writes for the Associated Press.

Trump described the group as a ‘sick, dangerous, radical left disaster’ as well as a ‘major terrorist organisation’.

United States President Donald Trump has announced he plans to designate left-wing activist group Antifa a “terrorist organisation”.

Posting on his Truth Social platform late on Wednesday, Trump described the group as a “sick, dangerous, radical left disaster” as well as a “major terrorist organisation”.

“I will also be strongly recommending that those funding Antifa be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said.

It was unclear who or what exactly the US president plans to designate, with Antifa, short for anti-fascists, a loosely organised activist movement that lacks a distinct leader, structure or even membership list.

On Monday, senior White House officials said they would dismantle a “vast domestic terror movement” they claimed had resulted in right-wing activist Charlie Kirk being assassinated last week.

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said the Trump administration is “going to channel all of the anger that we have over the organised campaign that led to this assassination, to uproot and dismantle these terrorist networks”.

Investigators have yet to provide a motive for Kirk’s killing – which authorities allege was carried out by 22-year-old Utah native Tyler Robinson – but many on the right of the political divide have blamed leftist ideology for the assassination.

Trump also threatened to designate Antifa a terrorist organisation during his first term.

Thursday marks the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that saw two planes flown into the Twin Towers in New York, killing nearly 3,000.

Kevin Danni was there. The St. Francis High graduate and father of Golden Knights linebacker Luke Danni reflects back every anniversary on how he escaped from the 61st floor of the South Tower.

“I’m so lucky there were so many who sacrificed to save me,” he said.

Danni told his story to a rapt audience earlier this week at a meeting of the YMCA of the Foothills QB Club, where he is president.

He was 22 years old, a recent graduate of Occidental College and had been sent to Morgan Stanley in New York to begin training at the Twin Towers on Sept. 10, 2001. The next morning, a training meeting ended up being 15 minutes late because a speaker went too long, so during a break, he decided not to go to the observation deck on the 107th floor.

Instead, he looked out a window and saw what he thought was confetti flying around, It was papers from the aftermath of a plane running into the North Tower. Soon he saw a fire. At first, evacuation from the South Tower was not recommended. But Danni said the head of security, Rick Rescorla, overrode orders and told everyone to leave.

When Danni reached the 55th floor walking down the stairs, he heard an explosion. “The walls cracked,” he said.

It was a plane hitting the South Tower.

“I knew it was a terrorist attack,” he said. “I started to descend and passed firefighters going up the stairs. It took 45 minutes to evacuate.”

When he went outside, he said, “I saw both on fire.”

He went to find a pay phone so he could call his loved ones and tell them he was OK. Then the towers started to collapse.

“I heard a rumble,” he said. “It was 57 minutes since the plane hit. I saw the dust cloud. I turned and ran.”

Danni said he learned the security man, Rescorla, after escorting employees outside, went back up to make sure all had been evacuated from the office. The security man and 343 firefighters perished trying to help others.

“I got to see so many acts of heroism,” Danni said.

He was dating his future wife, Helena, at the time. They eventually married and their son, Luke, was born. This week he’ll be having fun watching Luke play quarterback for St. Francis on Friday night against Muir.

“Every 9/11, he says, ‘Dad, I’m glad you’re here,’” Kevin said.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

QUITO, Ecuador — The United States is designating two Ecuadorean gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, marking the Trump administration’s latest step to target criminal cartels in Latin America.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement Thursday while in Ecuador as part of a trip to Latin America overshadowed by an American military strike against a similarly designated gang, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. That attack has raised concerns in the region about what may follow as President Trump’s government pledges to step up military activity to combat drug trafficking and illegal migration.

“This time, we’re not just going to hunt for drug dealers in the little fast boats and say, ‘Let’s try to arrest them,’” Rubio told reporters in Quito, Ecuador’s capital. “No, the president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they’ve been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded.”

Two more gangs designed as terrorist groups

Los Lobos and Los Choneros are Ecuadorean gangs blamed for much of the violence that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. The terrorist designation, Rubio said, brings “all sorts of options” for Washington to work in conjunction with the government of Ecuador to crack down on these groups.

That includes the ability to conduct targeted killings as well as take action against the properties and banking accounts in the U.S. of the group’s members and those with ties to the criminal organizations, Rubio said. He said the label also would help with intelligence sharing.

Los Choneros, Los Lobos and other similar groups are involved in contract killings, extortion operations and the movement and sale of drugs. Authorities have blamed them for the increased violence in the country as they fight over drug-trafficking routes to the Pacific and control of territory, including within prisons, where hundreds of inmates have been killed since 2021.

U.S. strike in the Caribbean takes center stage

The strike in the southern Caribbean has commanded attention on Rubio’s trip, which included a stop in Mexico on Wednesday.

U.S. officials say that the vessel’s cargo was intended for the U.S. and that the strike killed 11 people, but they have yet to explain how the military determined that those aboard were Tren de Aragua members.

Rubio said U.S. actions targeting cartels were being directed more toward Venezuela, and not Mexico.

“There’s no need to do that in many cases with friendly governments, because the friendly governments are going to help us,” Rubio told reporters. “They may do it themselves, and we’ll help them do it.”

A day earlier, Rubio justified the strike by saying that the boat posed an “immediate threat” to the U.S. and that Trump opted to “blow it up” rather than follow what had been standard procedure: to stop and board, arrest the crew and seize any contraband.

The strike drew a mixed reaction from leaders around Latin America, where the U.S. history of military intervention and gunboat diplomacy is still fresh. Many, such as officials in Mexico, were careful to not outright condemn the attack. They stressed the importance of protecting national sovereignty and warned that expanded U.S. military involvement might backfire.

Ecuador has struggled with drug trafficking

Ecuador has its own issues with narcotics trafficking.

President Daniel Noboa thanked Rubio for the U.S. efforts to “actually eliminate any terrorist threat.” Before their meeting, Rubio said on social media that the U.S. and Ecuador are “aligned as key partners on ending illegal immigration and combatting transnational crime and terrorism.”

The latest United Nations World Drug Report says various countries in South America, including Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, reported larger cocaine seizures in 2022 than in 2021. The report does not give Venezuela the outsize role that the White House has in recent months.

“I don’t care what the U.N. says. I don’t care,” Rubio said.

Violence has skyrocketed in Ecuador since the pandemic. Drug traffickers expanded operations and took advantage of the nation’s banana industry. Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of the fruit, and traffickers find shipping containers filled with it to be the perfect vehicle to smuggle their contraband.

Cartels from Mexico, Colombia and the Balkans have settled in Ecuador because it uses the U.S. dollar and has weak laws and institutions, along with a network of long-established gangs, including Los Choneros and Los Lobos, that are eager for work.

Ecuador gained prominence in the global cocaine trade after political changes in Colombia last decade. Coca bush fields in Colombia have been moving closer to Ecuador’s border due to the breakup of criminal groups after the 2016 demobilization of the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Ecuador in July extradited to the U.S. the leader of Los Choneros, José Adolfo Macías Villamar. He escaped from an Ecuadorean prison last year and was recaptured in June, two months after being indicted in New York on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the U.S.

Lee, Cano and Martin write for the Associated Press. Lee and Cano reported from Mexico City. AP writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., contributed to this report.

On Tuesday, New York City radio host Sid Rosenberg asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio about whether the State Department intends to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and Council on American-Islamic Relations as terrorist organizations. Rubio responded that “all of that is in the works,” although “obviously there are different branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, so you’d have to designate each one of them.”

Logistics and bureaucracy aside: It’s about time.

For far too long, the United States has treated the Muslim Brotherhood with a dangerous combination of naiveté and willful blindness. The Brotherhood is not a random innocuous political movement with a religious bent. It is, and has been since its founding about a century ago, the ideological wellspring of modern Sunni Islamism. The Brotherhood’s fingerprints are on jihadist groups as wide-ranging as Al Qaeda and Hamas, yet successive American administrations — Republican and Democratic alike — have failed to designate its various offshoots for what they are: terrorist organizations.

That failure is not merely academic. It has real-world consequences. By refusing to label the Muslim Brotherhood accurately, we tie our own hands in the fight against Islamism — both at home and abroad. We allow subversive actors to exploit our political system and bankroll extremism under the guise of “cultural” or “charitable” outreach.

Enough is enough.

Founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood’s stated mission has never wavered: the establishment of a global caliphate governed by sharia law. The Brotherhood has always attempted to position itself as a “political” organization, but it is “political” in the way Lenin was political. Think subversion through infiltration — or revolution through stealth.

Consider Hamas. Hamas is not merely inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood — it is the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestinian-Arab branch. The link is unambiguous; as Article Two of Hamas’ founding charter states, “The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the wings of Moslem Brotherhood in Palestine.” And Hamas’ charter also makes clear its penchant for explicit violence: “Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement.”

This is not the rhetoric of nuance or moderation. This is the ideological foundation of contemporary jihadism. Yet, while Hamas is rightly designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. State Department, other branches of the Muslim Brotherhood remain off the list.

Why? Because Western elites have allowed themselves to be duped by the Brotherhood’s two-faced strategy. Abroad, they openly sow the seeds of jihad, cheer for a global caliphate and preach for the destruction of Israel and Western civilization more broadly. But in the corridors of power in the U.S. and Europe, they and their Qatari paymasters don suits and ties, rebrand as “moderates” and leverage media credulity and overly generous legal protections to plant ideological roots.

What’s more, CAIR — an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing trial in U.S. history — has extremely well-documented ties to the Brotherhood. And yet CAIR agents continue to operate freely in the United States, masquerading as civil rights advocates while pushing Islamist narratives that undermine the core constitutional principles of equality that they purport to champion. Today, almost two years after CAIR-linked Hamas executed the Oct. 7 pogrom in Israel, CAIR remains in good standing with many elected Democrats.

It shouldn’t be so. In November 2014, the United Arab Emirates designated CAIR as a terrorist organization, citing its links to the Brotherhood and Hamas. And the Brotherhood itself is recognized as a terrorist organization by at least Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain and Russia. Jordan also banned the Brotherhood earlier this year. Put bluntly: There is absolutely no reason the United States should have a warmer approach toward CAIR than the UAE or a warmer approach toward the Brotherhood than Saudi Arabia.

The first Trump administration flirted with the idea of designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. It was the right impulse. But the effort was ultimately bogged down by internal bureaucracy and international pressure — most notably from Qatar and Turkey, both sometime U.S. partners that harbor strong Brotherhood sympathies and bankroll Islamist causes. And the second Trump administration’s troubling embrace of Qatar may well nip any designation in the bud before it even takes off.

Critics argue that such a designation would complicate relations with countries where Brotherhood affiliates participate in local politics. But since when did the U.S. place a premium on building alliances with the ideological cousins of Al Qaeda and ISIS?

Moreover, designating the Muslim Brotherhood would empower domestic law enforcement and intelligence agencies to go after its networks and financial infrastructure. It would send a clear signal that the U.S. government no longer accepts a claim of “nonviolent Islamism” as a pass when designating terrorist groups.

In a time when the threat from Islamic extremism remains global and decentralized, we can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the architects of the movement. The Muslim Brotherhood is not, as “Arab Spring” boosters risibly claimed a decade and a half ago, a Western partner in “democracy.” It is the mother’s milk of modern Sunni jihadism.

The question is not whether we can afford to designate Muslim Brotherhood offshoots as terrorist organizations. It is: How much longer can we afford not to?

Josh Hammer’s latest book is “Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.” This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate. @josh_hammer

The designation comes as US President Donald Trump seeks closer ties with Pakistani government.

The United States has upped pressure on the Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), labelling it a “foreign terrorist” organisation.

The designation, announced by the Department of State on Monday, comes after the BLA, which is also known as the Majeed Brigade, was designated a “specially designated global terrorist” (SDGT) organisation in 2019.

The new designation is more severe and comes as US President Donald Trump has sought increased contacts with Pakistan’s government.

In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move “demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to countering terrorism”.

“Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities,” the statement said.

The BLA was designated as an SDGT following  a series of attacks in 2019. More recently, in March this year, the secessionist group claimed responsibility for the siege of a train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, in which dozens of passengers and soldiers were killed.

The new designation makes it a crime for anyone in the US to provide support to the group, while the previous designation only targeted financial resources.

Balochistan is the largest but least populous and poorest province in Pakistan. The region has experienced at least five secessionist uprisings since Pakistan’s formation in 1947.

The latest iteration began in the early 2000s, and has since broadened its focus from securing the province’s natural resources to full-fledged independence.

Supporters of the secessionist movement have alleged that Pakistan’s government has exploited the region’s resources, while neglecting its population of 15 million. The province remains key to trade, housing the deep-sea ports at Gwadar, a key component in plans to link southwestern China to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan.

Recent BLA attacks have further inflamed tensions between Pakistan and India, with Islamabad accusing New Delhi of fuelling the violence. India has denied the claims.

Last month, the administration of US President Donald Trump also labelled The Resistance Front (TRF), which Rubio described as an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a “foreign terrorist” group following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April that killed 26 people.

Trump later said he was behind a ceasefire that ended a brief military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May, a claim rejected by India. Relations between New Delhi and Washington have further soured over Trump’s tariff campaign against India.

Meanwhile, in June, Trump hosted Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir, considered one of the most powerful men in the country, for lunch at the White House.

The Trump administration has also sought new investments with Pakistan, with particular emphasis on the South Asian country’s natural resources and fledgling cryptocurrency industry.

It’s 1:00 p.m., and the sun in Maiduguri, North East Nigeria, scorches without mercy – too hot to stand still and too bright to keep eyes open. Under the blistering heat, however, children clutch their bowls tightly, roaming the streets for food.

When it rains, they shiver violently, teeth clattering loud enough to be heard from several feet away, their stomachs rumbling, their eyes scanning for anything edible. With bleeding heels and limps from split soles, their skin looks cracked during the harmattan. They often wander around, drifting through dumpsites with empty bowls or plastic bags clutched to their sides.

At fast food joints, they watch others eat, swatting flies from their eyes and the corners of their mouths, waiting for crumbs or spilt leftovers. By nightfall, they curl under bridges or behind kiosks, sleeping beneath shop awnings, or wherever a patch of shadow might pass for shelter. 

They survive on dumpsites and gutters, scavenging for scraps, stretching out their palms to uninterested pedestrians, and knocking on car windows with quiet pleas. Some chant, some mumble, and some say nothing at all. It rarely makes a difference; most of the time, no one listens. 

HumAngle has spoken to scores of children uprooted and shaped by the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeastern region. Broken and disadvantaged, many of these children say they resort to scavenging at dumpsites to survive, searching through refuse to feed themselves and support their families.

Twelve-year-old Ibrahim Ali, one of the scavenging boys HumAngle interviewed, returns with some metal scraps from a day-long exploration. “I always look for metal scraps that I can sell to support my family,” Ibrahim said. “On a good day, I find three to four kilos of metal that I sell for ₦300 per kilo. But on normal days, I get less than that. Sometimes I may end up without getting any scraps worth selling.”

The Boko Haram conflict unravelled the social safety net entirely. It swelled the ranks of the homeless, turned children into scavengers, and broke the links between family, education, and protection. When two cases of child abuse surfaced recently in the media, the public had a rare glimpse into the routine violence many children silently endure. The first involved a schoolgirl caught plucking mangoes, who was beaten with fists and kicks by the tree’s owner. The second was a video that emerged from a Tsangaya school: a boy stripped shirtless, doused with water, sand poured over him, and lashed mercilessly by his teacher.

The backlash was swift. The teacher was arrested. The state awarded the boy a scholarship. There was outrage. There were hashtags. However, the troubles facing children caught up in war zones are far more disturbing; the future of many of them is held to ransom by terrorists, ruining lives and properties in the suburbs of Borno state.

Bama, for instance, was once a bustling commercial hub, a critical trade link for merchants from Cameroon and neighbouring Nigerian states. But in 2014, it became the first major town to fall to Boko Haram. What followed was the collapse of life as it had once been. When the military reclaimed the town, a deepening humanitarian crisis emerged. Today in Bama, children roam the streets. Many have no idea where their parents are or what it means to be cared for.

These gaps in protection are realities carved into the lives of children like Adamu and Bala, who are forced to navigate survival without the support of family.

Adamu is just 10 years old, yet he carries himself with the hollowed, guarded manner of someone much older. He lives alone in a displacement camp in Bama, a place originally meant to provide safety, but where no one takes responsibility for him. “I don’t know who my parents are,” he said quietly, avoiding eye contact. “I just sleep anywhere in the camp. Sometimes near the fence, or by the market sheds.”

At sunrise, he sets out for Bama town, wandering in search of food. “In the morning, I go to town to beg. That’s how I survive,” he said. 

In Konduga, 12-year-old Bala lives a different but equally difficult life. He shares a shelter in the IDP camp with his mother and two younger brothers, but the conditions are dire. “We don’t have food,” he said. “I beg on the streets to eat.” His father disappeared years ago, and Bala doesn’t know whether he’s alive or dead. Now, as the oldest child, he bears a responsibility far beyond his age, providing for his family.

Both boys are among the estimated 2.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Borno, more than half of whom are children. Despite the scale of the need, investment in education remains limited. Between 2020 and 2023, the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) initiative allocated US$20.1 million to support nearly 2.9 million children across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe. In 2024, it pledged another US$15 million to reach over 130,000 more. 

“We cannot talk about algebra when they haven’t eaten,” said Mohammad Bunu, an educationist working with displaced and vulnerable children in northeastern Nigeria. The real crisis isn’t infrastructure; it’s the disconnect between formal education models and the survival realities of children in camps and communities, he said.

Bunu calls for a shift toward community-based education that combines basic literacy with vocational training, such as carpentry, tailoring, agriculture, and technology. “They need a path beyond begging or just attending school. Reintegration isn’t only for ex-combatants. We must invest in skills that restore dignity.

Longkat Enock, a clinical psychologist, adds that education must have structured emotional support. “You can’t heal a broken society if you ignore its broken children,” he warned. “They’ve seen killings, starvation and abandonment, yet no one asks how they feel.”

Longkat advocates for trained counsellors, safe spaces, and mentorship. “If we keep acting like food and books alone are enough, we’ll be here again in ten years, facing even more shattered futures.”

“We’re not just talking about children missing school, we’re talking about children missing entire stages of development,” said Bunu. “In many of these camps, there’s no structure, no routine, no trained teachers. It’s impossible to talk about rebuilding a society without rebuilding its education system first.”

The coordinators of a makeshift displacement camp at the Government Day Science Secondary School (GDSSS) in Bama say they host over 109,000 people, including more than 64,000 children.

When HumAngle visited the GDSSS school within the camp, the classrooms were empty, and only five teachers were present. “We don’t have more than 50 pupils attending class regularly,” one teacher said.

“When these boys grow up without any care, what will they turn into?” asked Bulama Abdu, a community elder in Bama. “We suffered from one generation of angry boys with guns. Are we raising another?”

“Conflict doesn’t end by hosting displaced people at camps or even back to their communities. If children are left without education, stability, or guidance, the trauma festers. They become vulnerable to criminality, violence, even new forms of extremism,” Enock added.

This concern is similar in post-conflict zones. In South Sudan, neglected war-affected youth became prime targets for militia recruitment. In post-war Liberia, years of childhood abandonment fed into cycles of urban violence. The Nigerian government has refused to articulate a long-term reintegration and education policy specifically targeting children displaced or affected by the Boko Haram conflict. 

Reintegration efforts in the northeastern region largely prioritise ex-combatants, neglecting civilian victims and displaced children. Education-in-emergencies programs, such as learning centres for orphans, remain donor-dependent and limited in scale. Just 27 per cent of school-aged children in humanitarian response plans have received adequate education support, leaving the vast majority without access.

Health educators note that many Nigerians resist birth control on religious grounds. One family-planning counsellor explained that when the term for “family planning” (literally “limiting birth”) was introduced in Hausa (“Kaiyadde Iyali”), people instantly objected, asking, “Who are you to limit birth?”.  They cite Qur’anic teaching that “Allah will provide for all children.” Many of them see large families as divinely ordained and avoid family planning on faith-based grounds.

Traditional socioeconomics also favour big families.  In rural northern society, women live mostly at home and rely on children for chores and farm work.  Children thus serve as household labour and social security.  Having many sons or daughters brings status and assistance.

When HumAngle randomly spoke to some young persons in Maiduguri, the sentiment was nearly unanimous: family planning is perceived as a Western concept, alien to their values. Most respondents said they desired at least eight children, with several aiming for ten or more. “It is God who takes care of children,” said one of the young men. “Every child comes with their destiny. If he makes it, he will make it. If not, nothing the parents do will change that.”

For 27-year-old Adamu Ali, fathering ten children is part of his plan. “At least five of them will grow up to look after me when I’m old,” he said with conviction. His rationale is not uncommon in most northern communities where the collapse of formal social safety nets has reinforced the reliance on children as a form of long-term security.

UNICEF reports that Borno has one of Nigeria’s highest out-of-school rates, as roughly 1.8 million children lack access to schooling. A study found that conflict-affected women showed increased preference for larger families, viewing “more children as a coping strategy amid insecurity, seeking enhanced social and economic security, or replacing lost members during the conflict”. 

In other words, families often cling to the belief that God will provide for any children they have, even when resources vanish.  Humanitarian workers and relatives thus become the de facto caregivers for these unplanned generations, as villagers insist on growing their families in the hope of divine provision.

The ongoing boko haram conflict has shattered traditional support systems. Where once extended families or religious communities would help raise children, displacement and poverty have made that impossible.

“We don’t plan children,” said Hajja Fatima, a 45-year-old widow in Maiduguri raising six children alone. “That is God’s work. If he gives, you take.”

Israel said ‘terrorist organisations’ were motivated to exact revenge on it due to its recent military campaigns against Iran and in Gaza.

Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) has sharpened its travel warnings for Israelis visiting and staying in the United Arab Emirates, citing a heightened risk of “terrorist organisations” carrying out attacks in the Gulf State.

In a statement published on Thursday, the NSC cited a growing threat from “terrorist organisations (The Iranians, Hamas, Hezbollah and Global Jihad)” attacking Israeli targets, motivated by Israel’s military operations in the Middle East.

“They are driven by heightened motivation to exact revenge following Operation Rising Lion, in addition to the anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian incitement which has intensified since the start of Operation Iron Swords, and even more so in response to Hamas’ starvation campaign,” it said, using the names for its military assaults on Iran and Gaza.

Israel is facing mounting international pressure over Gaza’s ongoing starvation crisis, caused by the Israeli military’s months-long blockade on aid entering the Palestinian enclave.

In 2020, the UAE became the most prominent Arab state in 30 years to establish formal ties with Israel under a United States-brokered agreement dubbed the Abraham Accords. The country’s Israeli and Jewish community has grown larger and more visible in the years since the accords were signed.

But the NSC statement said “past experience” has taught Israel that “terrorist organisations often focus their efforts in neighbouring countries”.

“In light of this, the NSC is reiterating the possibility that they will try to carry out attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in the UAE, especially on Jewish holidays and Shabbat,” it added.

The NSC’s travel alert for the UAE – which remains unchanged at level 3 – strongly advises against non-essential travel and urges Israeli citizens to “seriously reconsider” visiting the Gulf state.

While the UAE is viewed as one of the safest places in the Middle East, three people were sentenced to death there in March for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi.

The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court ruled that the November killing of 28-year-old Zvi Kogan – a representative of Orthodox Jewish organisation Chabad in the UAE – was committed by the defendants in pursuance of a “terrorist purpose”.

The attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 people and sparked outrage, was initially claimed by The Resistance Front.

The United States has designated the group The Resistance Front (TRF) a “foreign terrorist organisation” following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people in April.

In a statement on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that TRF is an offshoot of the group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and has taken credit for the attack in the resort town of Pahalgam, as well as several assaults on Indian security forces.

Rubio also touted the sanctions as evidence of President Donald Trump’s firm approach to foreign policy.

“These actions taken by the Department of State demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President Trump’s call for justice for the Pahalgam attack,” the State Department said in a statement.

TRF initially claimed responsibility for the bloody attack in Pahalgam but reversed course several days later and denied involvement.

The nationalist government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi quickly seized on the attack, blaming neighbouring Pakistan for the massacre and accusing it of supporting militant groups that carry out attacks on Indian security forces and civilians.

Several members of LeT carried out a multiday attack in Mumbai in 2008 that killed more than 160 people and injured hundreds more. In his statement, Rubio called the Pahalgam attack, in which militants targeted a popular tourist destination in Kashmir, “the deadliest attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks conducted by LeT”.

While Pakistan is widely considered to have supported such groups as a form of undermining India, the latter’s harsh military rule and record of human rights abuses in Kashmir have long been sources of discontent and sometimes violent resistance in the territory.

Hindu nationalists have sought greater control over Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority province under Indian rule.

After the Pahalgam attack in April, India and Pakistan exchanged a series of blows before agreeing to a truce that President Trump claimed credit for helping to broker, though India has denied US mediation.