“Arab tribesmen clashed with U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in several areas of
eastern Syria on Tuesday, leaving at least 10 people dead and others wounded,
opposition activists and pro-government media said. The clashes are among the
worst in recent years in the region along the border with Iraq where hundreds
of U.S. troops have been based since 2015 to help in the fight against the
Islamic State group. The clashes first broke out Monday, a day after the
U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces detained the commander of
a formerly allied group and several other members of his faction after they
were invited to a meeting in the northeastern city of Hassakeh. Some Arab
tribesmen in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour were angered by the detention
of Ahmad Khbeil, better known as Abu Khawla. He heads the Deir el-Zour Military
Council, which was allied with the SDF in its yearslong battle against the
Islamic State group in Syria.”











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Eye on Extremism



August 30, 2023



Associated Press: Fighting In Eastern Syria Between US-Backed Fighters And
Arab Tribesmen Kills 10
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“Arab tribesmen clashed with U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in several areas of
eastern Syria on Tuesday, leaving at least 10 people dead and others wounded,
opposition activists and pro-government media said. The clashes are among the
worst in recent years in the region along the border with Iraq where hundreds
of U.S. troops have been based since 2015 to help in the fight against the
Islamic State group. The clashes first broke out Monday, a day after the
U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces detained the commander of
a formerly allied group and several other members of his faction after they
were invited to a meeting in the northeastern city of Hassakeh. Some Arab
tribesmen in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour were angered by the detention
of Ahmad Khbeil, better known as Abu Khawla. He heads the Deir el-Zour Military
Council, which was allied with the SDF in its yearslong battle against the
Islamic State group in Syria.”



Voice Of America: Somali President Says Military Operations Against Al-Shabab
Will Continue Until 'Final Victory'
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“Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said military operations against
al-Shabab will not stop until final victory is achieved. He was speaking
Tuesday, a day after government troops retreated from several towns following a
deadly al-Shabab attack on soldiers in Cowsweyne village on Saturday. "Whether
one battlefield is lost or someone spreads misinformation, the fight is going
to continue. It will not stop, we are not turning back from where we are," he
said. "We will achieve the final victory that we seek. The importance is
achieving a final victory. A final victory is near." He praised government
soldiers who dislodged the militants from vast areas since the offensive was
launched last year, and paid tribute to those soldiers and local fighters who
participated in the operations. "Al-Shabab today is weaker, smaller in number,"
he said. "We are more experienced, more in number, better equipped, more
encouraged, and we have a victory which the enemy lacks. Victory is in our
grasp."”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

* Afghanistan Terrorism Report: July 2023
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* ISIS Women In Court: Jennifer W. – Enslavement Resulting In Death
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* Cyberterrorism – The Paradigm of Deterring, Detecting, and Defending
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* Al-Shabaab Sets Sights on Kenya
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* Lebanon, Hezbollah, and the Anniversary – and Failure – of Resolution 1701
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United States



Boston Globe: Two Years On, The US Pullout From Afghanistan Looks Worse Than
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“The American withdrawal from Afghanistan was completed two years ago, when
the last C-17 transport plane departed Kabul airport just before midnight on
Aug. 30, 2021. “There’s a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure,”
said General Kenneth McKenzie, who headed the US Central Command. Yes, and a
lot of humiliation, too. The American pullout was a bloody shambles. At a
stroke it undid almost everything the US-led coalition had accomplished in its
effort to give Afghanistan’s people a chance at life free from Islamist
dictatorship. The scenes of death, chaos, and desperation that accompanied the
abrupt departure contradicted every assurance President Biden had given when,
against the advice of his military advisers, he ordered the pullout to proceed.”



Reuters: Smuggler With Extremist Ties Helped Uzbeks Cross US-Mexico Border, US
Says
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“A smuggler with ties to a foreign extremist group helped Uzbek migrants
enter the U.S. from Mexico, the White House said on Tuesday, raising questions
about a potential security threat. The smuggler was based in Turkey and had
links to the jihadist Islamic State, also known as ISIS, according to a U.S.
official who spoke on condition of anonymity. CNN first reported the incident.
Record numbers of migrants have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally since
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office in 2021, including many from
distant nations. Republicans say Biden encouraged crossings by reversing
tougher policies of former President Donald Trump, a Republican. The Biden
administration argues that it has instituted more humane policies as migration
has challenged countries across the Western Hemisphere.”



Fox News: Afghan Women Who Fled Taliban Rule Thrive In US Following Daring
Rescue By US Charity
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“A group of Hazara minority women who were evacuated from Afghanistan with
the help of some concerned Americans have continued to thrive in their new home
two years after the fall of Kabul. "These girls are looking ahead to their
future," Vicki Mayo, the founder of the Mayo Family Foundation, told Fox News
Digital. "They're doing really well, they've adjusted…. the girls are happy,
healthy and looking forward to a bright and optimistic future." Mayo's comments
come two years after she helped lead an effort to evacuate 147 women out of
Afghanistan. The women, Mayo said, are part of Afghanistan's Hazara minority, a
group that has traditionally seen years of persecution in Afghanistan. With the
Taliban sweeping to control the country again during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal,
over 100 of them attempted to flee Afghanistan.”



Iraq



Reuters: French Soldier Killed In Iraq In Battle With Islamic State Militants
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“A French soldier was killed in a four-hour firefight in Iraq when French and
Iraqi forces raided an Islamic State hideout, Iraqi security sources said on
Tuesday. Three other French and five Iraqi soldiers were wounded in the clash
in a rural area of Iraq's northern Salahuddin province on Monday evening, two
security sources said. The French Presidency confirmed the death and named the
soldier as Nicolas Mazier of a French special forces unit taking part in a raid
with Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service troops against an Islamic State hide-out.
The French and Iraqi forces landed by helicopters in the al-Eth area after an
Iraqi air strike on the militants' position but came under intense attack, the
sources said. "It was clearly an ambush by terrorists," one Iraqi security
source said. The battle lasted for more than four hours.”



Yemen



Politics Today: Yemeni Women Suffering Under Houthi Rule
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“On August 10, news of a controversial contract in the Yemeni city of Dhamar
went viral. The contract, signed by the Manar tribes in 2021, resurfaced after
an ex-political figure from the Islah party posted about the need to implement
it across Yemen on Facebook. The contract included restrictive measures against
women in the tribe. For example, it states that women are strictly forbidden to
own a smartphone, and if a woman is found having one, her male guardian will be
punished. The contract also bans women from wearing makeup, travelling in taxis
without a male guardian, and working for humanitarian NGOs. The contract was
reposted by Abdullah Ahmed Al-Adaini, the ex-leader of the conservative Islah
party, and sparked a wave of conflicting opinions between supporters and
opponents. In a now-deleted Facebook post, al-Adaini claimed that the document
should be circulated and implemented throughout Yemen.”



Middle East



Haaretz: Israeli Defense Officials: Belligerent Rhetoric On Both Sides Risks
War With Hezbollah In Lebanon
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“Senior members of Israel's security establishment share Defense Minister
Yoav Gallant's fear that war with Lebanon is becoming increasingly likely.
However, intelligence officials have expressed in various forums a different
view about what things may potentially bring about a confrontation. Gallant
made his comments during a meeting with United Nations Secretary General
Antonio Guterres in New York on Monday. Gallant has previously argued that the
main risk is Lebanese violations of Israeli sovereignty, alluding to
Hezbollah’s erection of tents on Israel’s side of the border, and Iran pushing
the Shi’ite organization to act aggressively. But the defense establishment
believes the main risk is the war drums being beaten by politicians in Lebanon,
Iran and Israel. They say their remarks are driven by domestic political
considerations more than anything that is actually happening on the ground.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: AU Mission To Withdraw More Troops From Somalia
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“The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] is preparing for the
withdrawal of more troops from the Horn of Africa nation, just over two months
after the first batch of soldiers left the country in compliance with the
Somali Transition Plan [STP], which was approved a few months ago. The second
phase of withdrawal will target 3,000 troops carefully selected from various
Sectors, with the prior arrangement seeing the exit of 2,000 soldiers selected
from among the Contributing Countries. The June 2023 exit was termed as
"successful". Somali National Army [SNA] has already taken over the Forward
Operating Bases [FOBs], with the country insisting that it has trained enough
troops to take over from the foreign teams. A number of Somali soldiers have
been trained in Eritrea, Uganda and some in Ethiopia, the government confirmed.”



Africa



Garowe Online: Duale Warns Locals Against Working With Al-Shabaab In Lamu
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“Some locals could be closely working with Al-Shabaab militants in Lamu,
coastal Kenya, Defence Minister Aden Duale has claimed, arguing that it is
impossible for the terrorists to walk from Somalia, unleash on innocent
civilians, and go back to their homes without being noticed. The minister, who
has been pushing for the elimination of the Al-Shabaab, wonders how the
militants could repeatedly attack the people of Lamu without security teams
getting a hint. Lamu has been subject to Al-Shabaab attacks for the better part
of this year. “It’s surprising for you to fail to spot al Shabaab moving all
the way from Jilib in Somalia to Mokowe and move even further to kill a driver
and his conductor, and vacate without you locals seeing them,” Duale said.
“There must be local elements working with these so-called al Shabaab to
perpetrate the heinous killings and destruction of property, he said. “I want
to make it clear to you today that we know those who are collaborating with al
Shabaab. Your days are numbered.””



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