China warns its citizens not to travel to the Philippines

On Friday, China notified its citizens to discontinue plans and eventually not to travel to Philippines after an alleged Chinese teenager who worked in a family-run store was kidnapped.

Chinese Foreign Ministry explained that the threat may come from the plots confirmed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) that illicit groups arranged an attack to the Chinese embassy, Chinese companies and public places such as grocery stores or malls.

The warning stated that "given that the safety situation in the Philippines is deteriorating, the consular service of the foreign ministry is asking Chinese nationals not to travel to the Philippines for the time being.”

It comes as relations between the countries have been disputing conflicts in recent years as Beijing and Manila clash over claims to the same territory in the South China Sea.

Senior Inspector Leo Castillo said the 18-year-old Chinese, Li Peizhi, on late Thursday, was abducted by unidentified group in Zamboanga Sibugay province's Kabasalan township.

The criminals also seized 20,000 pesos from the store's cash register.

Provincial police spokesman, Castillo, said officers in pursuit found the kidnappers' vehicle burning in a village about two kilometers away.

Mayor George Cainglet speculated that the Abu Sayyaf militants who kidnapped Australian Warren Richard Rodwell in 2011 may be the same group who is responsible for this kidnapping incident.

He also that there was no ransom demand had been negotiated nor made

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Over 12,000 foreign fighters battle in Syria

UNITED NATIONS — As the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) continues to offer its latest assessment of how many foreigners are fighting in Syria's civil war, another leading expert on terrorism estimated to be over 12,000 foreigners from 74 countries have gone to fight in Syria, 60-70 percent from other Middle Eastern countries and about 20-25 percent from Western nations.

Earlier, ICSR published its first estimate in April, the issue of foreign fighters in Syria has become a major concern for Western governments over the past year.

Syria is recently becoming as big a magnet for Muslim fighters as Afghanistan was in the 1980s when an estimated 35,000 foreigners joined the mujahideen ranks against Soviet invaders.

Prof. Peter Neumann, who administers the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King's College London, said the Syrian divergence has sparked the most significant mobilization of foreign fighters since the 1980s war in Afghanistan.

The Afghan conflict in the 1980s produced al-Qaida and the Syrian conflict is now forging new networks that will carry out terrorist attacks, Neumann said.

He has been consulting the U.N. Security Council ahead of its Sept. 24 summit meeting, chaired by President Barack Obama, on foreign terrorist fighters and the threat they pose.

The increase in number of the foreign fighters began in earnest in early 2012, a year after peaceful protests against the Assad regime were violently suppressed, and an armed revolt ensued.

Now, thousands of people have reportedly been killed and millions forced from their homes. UN have already described Syria as the greatest humanitarian crisis of modern times, and appealed help from international donors.

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Syria’s Kurds continue to battle against IS fighters

The largest ethnic minority in Syria, Syria's Kurds, could finally win against Islamic State, however, they must first clear their intention to President Bashar al-Assad and guarantee Turkey that they are of no harm to its border.

US that recently launched airstrikes against IS fighters in Iraq near a dam, remains uncertain of what strategy the country will use for combating the group on the other side of the frontier in Syria.

Despite Kurds’ support against Islamic State, and repeatedly battled against Islamic State during a three-and-a-half year civil war, Kurdish force have stamped out a swathe of northern territory, Kurds have yet to win the West's acceptance as partners in Syria.

Syrian Kurdish political party in northern Syria, the PYD, and its armed wing, the YPG, expresses their obvious allies for Western states of fighting Islamic State there.

PYD representative in France, Khaled Eissa, said since Islamic State invaded the Iraqi city of Mosul in June, the PYD has been offered a chance to tackle both issues in a bout of contacts with foreign officials, including some from "major powers.”

"They have given us signals that their position towards us is changing. But in my analysis - based on the contacts I mentioned - there are still obstacles," Eissa added.

Eissa said that "they know the YPG are the most effective force against (Islamic State). They want more assurances for the Turkish side. NATO states allied to Turkey must reassure it and make it understand that Islamic State's existence is also a danger to Turkey and that the PYD does not wish ill on anyone."

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IS fighters send gunboat attack

After U.S. launched airstrikes against Sunni fighters in Iraq over the weekend, to stop militants from seizing an important dam on the Euphrates River, a source said Islamic State fighters took a counter attack by killing 17 people and wounding 54 at a riverside town north of Baghdad on Monday with gunboats and a car bomb.

A private firm recently released a probe regarding arms trafficking documented small arms and rockets confiscated from ISIS are allegedly provided to other combatants by Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Syrian militants claimed weapons provided to them by foreign supporters have been captured by ISIS or sold or traded to ISIS by corrupt members of the rebel ranks.

The attack on Dhuluiya, around 70 km from the capital, was carried out before dawn and continued for two hours before the militants were pushed back, the source said.

The source confirmed majority of the total number of the death caused by the attack was civilians and Iraqi forces. Most of the casualties were rooted by the car bomb, which struck a market.

And a part of a belt of Sunni Muslim towns north of Baghdad, Dhuluiya, where the hardline Sunni Muslim Islamic State has managed to wrestle some control, often aligns with local armed force who disbelieves the Shi'ite-led government.

IS fighters took advantage of the commotion in Iraq to forcibly become the dominant power among Sunnis.

Obama sent air strikes in northern Iraq last August as Kurdish-controlled territory fell to the Islamic State and the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan looked in danger. Consequently, Islamic State fighters have since spread to central region of Iraq.

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U.S. sends airstrikes to aim militants in Iraq

Senior officials said U.S. warplanes sent four air strikes against Islamic State militants threatening western Iraq's Haditha Dam early on Sunday, broadening Washington's campaign against the fighters.

According to the leader of a pro-Iraqi government paramilitary force in the west said the strikes washed out an Islamic State patrol attempting an attack toward the dam which is considered as the country's second biggest hydroelectric facility which also supplies millions with water.

The US strikes were to protect the Iraqi forces and Sunni tribesmen in control of the dam.

An official said that "at the request of the Iraqi government and in keeping with our mission to protect US personnel and facilities, US military planes have begun striking Isil terrorists near the Haditha dam."

Governor of Anbar has reportedly been lightly wounded in fighting in the province, the army has said.

They had been carried out at the request of the Iraqi government, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said.

“If that dam would fall into ISIL’s (Islamic State's) hands or if that dam would be destroyed, the damage that that would cause would be very significant and it would put a significant, additional and big risk into the mix in Iraq,” Hagel told the reporters.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said Islamic State was trying to control strategic assets, including dams across Iraq.

Reportedly, militants held the control of a dam outside Falluja in April was a part of their targeted number of dams in their offensive, capturing the facility at Fallujah.

It abandoned that dam, and then they also took the largest dam, at Mosul, but US air strikes helped force them out.

However, so far, the attempts have failed including their plan to capture Haditha dam, on the Euphrates valley in western Anbar province.

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Military reservists to get refurbished weapons

MANILA, Philippines – As a part of the armed forces modernization program, the  Military reservists are guaranteed to get weapons in good working condition from consistent troops undergoing rearming.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang said the M16 rifles issued to regular troops are gradually being recollected and replaced with new Remington M4 assault rifles.

The recalled M-16s will  be refurbished and stocked and will be issued  to reservists in times of emergencies. As of now,  the military has 1.2 million reservists and 106,000 of whom are considered ready reserve and can mobilize on short notice.

The AFP has 125,000 regular workers spread among the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

For now, Catapang said the military’s reservists or “weekend warriors” are usually appointed as first responders for  natural calamities operation. I

During the opening ceremony of the 35^th AFP National Reservist week held at camp Aguinaldo yesterday, Catapang said the call the they have in the AFP as country’s protectors now encompasses a greater mission of securing fellow Filipinos from climate devastation and various natural disasters.  Catapang also advised the reservists to take their responsibilities with utmost devotion.

The  weekend warriors coordinate with AFP camp commanders to plant and nurture 700 seedlings of Bukidnon gold cherry blossom trees at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City and at Fort Bonifacio and Libingan ng Mga Bayani in Taguig City.

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