In donations from the UK
ISLAMIST extremist groups are receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in public donations from the UK, a Government report has found.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd will not publish the report in full for national security reasons and because of the volume of personal information it contains. But she said the “most common source of support for Islamist extremist organisations in the UK is from small, anonymous public donations, with the majority of these donations most likely coming from UK-based individuals”.
She added: “This is the main source of their income.”
Rudd said donors may not know or support the groups’ full agenda. The report was commissioned by David Cameron in 2015.
The Home Office review into the nature, scale and origin of the funding of Islamist extremist activity in the UK also found that, for most groups here, overseas funding is not important.
But some organisations are posing as charities to increase their credibility. A SOLDIER on a perilous mission to gather crucial intelligence deep behind Islamic State lines during the ferocious battle of Mosul shot dead six enemy fighters.
The fearless special forces hero Mohammed Qasim – dubbed the Lion of Mosul – disguised himself as one of the fanatics and conned them into believing he was one of them.
The Iraqi discovered the location of Isis positions and key sniper and machine gun teams.
Last night, senior Iraqi officers hailed the 25-year-old’s actions.
General Abdul Wahab al-Saadi said: “We are all very proud of what this soldier did.
“He is a very brave man. He makes us all hold our heads up high.”
As fighting continued to rage in the ruins of Mosul’s Old City in the last days of the battle in northern Iraq, Mohammed blended in with Isis troops by swapping his M4 rifle for an AK-47 and wearing a scruffy smock and scarf.
He and a comrade then sneaked behind enemy lines.
After noting down the vital positions and pinpointing where Isis were holding ammunition, Mohammed quickly shot dead six of the fanatics.
Then he and his colleague picked their way back to their own lines and briefed commanders on what they had learned.
Soon after that, Iraqi special forces ground troops were able to smash Isis with mortar bombs and air strikes before launching a full-on infantry attack.
It is believed Mohammed’s mission, which took several hours last Thursday, may have saved the lives of scores of comrades and civilians.
His actions led to him being promoted in the field to the rank of lieutenant.
Mohammed, originally from Basra, in southern Iraq, was fighting with the Iraqi special forces Golden Division, who have been trained by the SAS in recent years.
A source said: “What this man did was incredibly brave.
“If he was captured, he would have been tortured very slowly and held up as a trophy by Islamic State fighters. He didn’t even think twice when the idea came up and he made himself a volunteer immediately.
“Golden Division commanders knew their men were being pinned down by accurate Isis fire and couldn’t work out exactly where it was coming from.
“So they approved a plan for an undercover operation – probably the most audacious of the entire operation – and Mohammed said he would do it, without a thought for his own safety.” It is believed Mohammed’s comrades in the Iraqi Army avoided shooting at him after being briefed on what route he would take through no man’s land.
The battle of Mosul lasted almost nine months and involved about 130,000 troops from Iraq, Kurdish forces and Shia militia.
They were fighting thousands of Isis fighters from across the Middle East who had spent three years digging in and preparing defences.
Yesterday in Mosul’s Old City, Iraqi security forces were still searching for wounded Isis fighters among the rubble of the destroyed town.
Most experts believe Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed.
There are reports of infighting between Isis units in the few footholds the network still have in Iraq.
In Hawija, in the province of Kirkuk 110 miles south of Mosul, Isis commander Abu Haitham al-Obaidi has reportedly declared himself the “new Caliph”.
Jabbar al-Maamouri, a senior commander in the Iraqi state-sponsored militia group the Popular Mobilisation Forces, said Obaidi was preparing for a “decisive” confrontation with his opponents in Isis.
Maamouri added: “Hawija is bracing for bloody infighting among IS members, the most violent since the group took over Hawija in June 2014.”
On Monday, Iraqi prime minister
It was an audacious