Eye on Extremism
August 9, 2019
The
Guardian: Syria: New Idlib Clashes Sow 'Total Panic' Among Civilians,
UN Says
“Fresh fighting around Syria’s jihadi-controlled enclave of Idlib
has triggered “total panic” among civilians in recent days, according
to a senior UN official who warned that a feared government offensive
in the area was “playing with fire”. The renewed violence, which
followed the breakdown of a brief ceasefire, came as international
concern about Syria mounts. The British foreign secretary, Dominic
Raab, said on Thursday that he was appalled by the deteriorating
situation in the enclave, which is home to about 3 million people.
“Appalled by situation in Idlib and how Assad backed by Russia revoked
a ‘conditional’ ceasefire just days after announcing it – a repeated
pattern of behaviour,” he tweeted. “Attacks on civilian targets are a
violation of international humanitarian law – this must stop.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Lost In Life, El Paso Suspect Found A Dark World
Online
“The family of Patrick Crusius, the alleged gunman in El Paso’s
mass shooting, worried he was a little lost, with few friends, but
thought he wasn’t any more aimless than many others his age, said
family lawyer Christopher Ayres. When Mr. Crusius discussed current
events, history and politics with his grandfather, with whom he lived
for a while, his ideas didn’t appear to be out of the mainstream,
according to Mr. Ayres. Like many young men in Texas, he occasionally
went to the gun range with his father. Evidence is emerging, however,
that Mr. Crusius, 21 years old, cut a much different profile on the
internet, where he spent some eight hours a day, according to his
LinkedIn profile. He has told investigators that he came to his views
by doing research online, according to a law-enforcement official with
knowledge of the investigation, and didn’t speak to or organize with
other white nationalists in person. He said he read the manifesto by
the perpetrator of the Christchurch massacre in New Zealand and
thought it had the right message.”
The
National: Speculation Mounts Of A New ISIS Leader In The
Making
“ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi has anointed a successor, the
militant group's propaganda arm said on Thursday. If confirmed, the
move could show that Al Baghdadi's health is deteriorating. The
world's most-wanted terrorist leader was reportedly injured in
fighting and last appeared in a video in late April. Amaq news agency
reported on Tuesday night that Al Baghdadi nominated as his successor
Abdullah Qardash, an Iraqi of Turkmen origin from the Telafar region
near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Turkish state news agency
Anadolu reported. US says it will prevent Turkey invasion into Syria
Iraq launches third phase of anti-ISIS military operation. Mosul was
the last ISIS stronghold in Iraq before it was recaptured in a US-led
campaign to defeat the group in that country and Syria. Qardash, like
Al Baghdadi, had been detained in Iraq by US forces that toppled
Saddam Hussein in 2003. He had served as a religious commissar for Al
Qaeda before joining ISIS and welcoming Al Baghdadi in Mosul when the
city fell to the group in 2014, Anadolu reported. In his last public
massage in April, Al Baghdadi said ISIS had launched a war of
attrition ordained by God.”
Financial
Times: Fragmented ISIS Fighters Remain Potent Threat In Iraq And
Syria
“When four rifle-carrying men approached a group of Kurdish
shepherds working in Iraq’s northern mountains, the fighters were
quick to reveal that they were from Isis. The jihadist group has lost
a stretch of territory the size of the UK across Iraq and Syria since
2015 — its self-declared caliphate now a shadow of its brutal former
self. But, as the US military warned in a report published this week,
Isis remain a potent threat. The terror group has in recent months
“solidified its insurgent capabilities in Iraq and was resurging in
Syria” as local security forces struggled to hold on to hard-won gains
following the partial US military drawdown. As the Kurdish shepherds
discovered, the Isis fighters had been able to survive in the
mountainous region of northern Iraq, and appeared clean-shaven and
healthy. “They looked like they had come from the public baths,” said
sheep-owner Sami Diab, 60, who said the men carried Camelbak-style
water packs and new-looking weapons. The shepherds, who spoke to the
Financial Times in the town of Makhmour, have since moved into safer
parts of Kurdish-controlled territory.”
Yahoo
News: US Slaps Hezbollah Financier With Prison, $50 Mn
Fine
“A Lebanese businessman designated by US authorities as an
important financial supporter of Hezbollah was sentenced to five years
in prison and ordered to forfeit $50 million, the Justice Department
said Thursday. Kassim Tajideen, 63, pleaded guilty in December to one
count of conspiracy to launder money as part of a scheme to evade US
sanctions. He was named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in May
2009 by the Treasury Department based on tens of millions of dollars
in financial support given to Hezbollah, a Shiite political party and
militant group in Lebanon. In a plea, Tajideen admitted to conspiring
with at least five other people to conduct more than $50 million in
transactions with US businesses, in violation of prohibitions barring
his involvement with US persons or companies. “His sentencing and the
$50 million forfeiture in this case are just the latest public
examples of the Department of Justice's ongoing efforts to disrupt and
dismantle Hezbollah and its support networks,” said Assistant Attorney
General Brian Benczkowski. Tajideen, who operated a network of
businesses in Lebanon and Africa, was extradited to the United States
in March 2017 after his arrest overseas, according to the
department.”
Gizmodo:
FBI Plans To Monitor Facebook, Twitter, And Instagram For Terrorism
And Domestic Threats In Real-Time
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation is soliciting technology firms
to build a tool that can monitor social media for threats. The agency
posted a request for proposals on July 8 claiming it wants a “social
media early alerting tool,” that will help it track the use of the
platforms by terrorists, criminal organizations, and foreign agencies.
“With increased use of social media platforms by subjects of current
FBI investigations and individuals that pose a threat to the United
States, it is critical to obtain a service which will allow the FBI to
identify relevant information from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
other social media platforms in a timely fashion,” the request reads.
“Consequently, the FBI needs near real-time access to a full range of
social media exchanges in order to obtain the most current information
available in furtherance of its law enforcement and intelligence
missions.” The solicitation was first reported on by Defense One. The
documents released by the FBI show that the agency plans to have a
tool that can be accessed from all FBI headquarters and field offices,
or through FBI-issued mobile devices.”
United States
Associated
Press: Experts Push For Domestic Terrorism Law After
Attacks
“Seven days, three mass shootings, 34 dead. The FBI has labeled two
of those attacks, at a Texas Walmart and California food festival, as
domestic terrorism — acts meant to intimidate or coerce a civilian
population and affect government policy. But the bureau hasn’t gone
that far with a shooting at an Ohio entertainment district. Even if
there’s a domestic terrorism investigation, no specific domestic
terrorism law exists in the federal criminal code. That means the
Justice Department must rely on other laws such as hate crimes and
weapons offenses in cases of politically motivated shootings. The
legal gap has prompted many survivors, victims’ families, law
enforcement officials and legal experts to call on lawmakers to create
a domestic terrorism law that could aid investigators and punish
perpetrators. “Calling something for what it is is an important first
step in combating this problem,” said Brian Levin, director of the
Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State
University, San Bernardino. However, supporters of a domestic
terrorism law say some lawmakers may be reluctant to push legislation
that could target white supremacists.”
The
Washington Post: Why Free Speech Makes It Difficult To Prosecute White
Supremacy In America
“There is a tool at the federal government’s disposal that was
created in 1970 to take down mob bosses, mafia families and organized
criminal enterprises — groups of people with a common ideology who
made the United States less safe. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
Organizations Act (RICO) allowed the FBI and the Justice Department to
hold accountable not just the low-level henchmen doing the dirty work,
but the leaders and organizers behind desks who were making plans and
issuing directives. Since it became federal law and statutes like it
were adopted in 35 states, RICO has been used in lawsuits and criminal
prosecutions to target New York’s five organized crime families, sex
abuse in the Catholic church, corporate executives accused of
contributing to the opioid epidemic, and street gangs such as
MS-13 and the Bloods and the Crips. But applying RICO to American
white supremacy, an ideology inspiring mass murder, is more
complicated. Inspiration, experts say, is not the same as causation.
“Today’s white supremacists adhere to both a tactic and folklore of
leaderless resistance which glorifies lone actors or small cells that
have tenuous ties to actual groups,” said Brian Levin, director of the
Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State
University at San Bernardino.”
The
Blade: Terror Suspect Pleads Guilty To Plotting To Attack Toledo
Bar
“A South Toledo man who went along with his girlfriend’s plotted
plan to conduct a violent attack at a Toledo bar pleaded guilty
Thursday to federal charges. Vincent Armstrong, 23, of the 3600 block
of Willow Run Drive, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Toledo
to a sole count of conspiracy to transport or receive an explosive
with intent to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual, and
maliciously damage or destroy by fire or explosive for his role in
planning an attack referred to as ”D-day,” at a second-floor Toledo
bar, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Freeman. Armstrong
faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, followed by three years of
supervised release. The plea comes the same week as a mass shooting
outside of a Dayton bar, though Mr. Freeman said Armstrong’s plea was
planned before the Dayton incident. Armstrong entered Magistrate Judge
James Knepp II’s courtroom Thursday with his head held high, wearing a
slight grin. He waved to his family members who were seated in the
back row of the courtroom. Magistrate Judge Knepp went through a
series of standard questions with Armstrong before hearing the
statement of facts, including if Armstrong had previously been treated
for mental health or sought treatment from a counselor — to which
Armstrong replied, ”no.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Uncle Trump To The Naval Rescue
“Well, well, look who’s coming to the rescue of the British and
shipping in the Middle East. None other than the Trump Administration
that is supposed to be an unreliable ally. The Brits now say they’re
joining a U.S.-led coalition to protect merchant shipping after they
failed to get help from the rest of Europe. The Royal Navy will join
the effort organized by the U.S. Central Command after Iran seized a
third ship this week. On July 19 the HMS Montrose frigate was
patrolling near the Strait of Hormuz but was too far away to stop
Iranian forces from taking a British-flagged tanker and crew that
Tehran still hasn’t released. Britain needs help because nearly half
of its frigates and destroyers are undergoing major repairs or
upgrades. The Royal Navy has around 80 ships, down from more than 130
during the 1982 Falklands War. The country is without a deployable
aircraft carrier, though it has plans for two. London spent more than
2% of gross domestic product on defense in 2018, fulfilling its NATO
requirement. But former Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood admitted after
the tanker seizure that “our Royal Navy is too small to manage our
interests across the globe.”
The
New York Times: Man With Rifle And Body Armor Alarms Shoppers At
Missouri Walmart
“A man with a loaded rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition walked into
a Walmart in Springfield, Mo., on Thursday afternoon, alarming
shoppers before he was detained by an armed off-duty firefighter and
arrested by the police, according to the authorities and local news
media. No shots were fired, and it was not clear what the man, who is
in his 20s and whose name was not immediately released, was planning
to do inside the store, Lt. Mike Lucas of the Springfield Police
Department said. Lieutenant Lucas told The Springfield News-Leader
that the man had intended “to cause chaos.” In an emailed statement,
the Police Department said, “We are working to determine his motives.”
“Nobody was harmed, thankfully,” Lieutenant Lucas told reporters at
the scene. “Just a really scary, dangerous situation that thankfully
got resolved, and everyone’s going home tonight.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Justice Department Quietly Embraces The Term
‘Domestic Terrorism’
“Just one day after the mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart, the
top federal prosecutor in southern Texas declared that the incident
would be treated as a terrorist attack. “We’re going to do what we do
to terrorists in this country, which is deliver swift and certain
justice,” said U.S. Attorney John Bash in a news conference on Sunday
addressing the massacre, in which 22 people were killed and which
appeared to be motivated by the suspect’s anti-immigrant animus. The
government’s quick, unequivocal labeling of the El Paso rampage as an
act of domestic terrorism was the latest example of its recent embrace
of a term that it previously had used only sparingly to describe
violence by Americans directed at fellow citizens. Justice Department
officials appear to have grown increasingly comfortable using the same
language when discussing such homegrown incidents—many of which appear
to be motivated by white supremacy, white nationalism or far-right
extremism—as they have long used when talking about those that are
linked to Islamic extremism.”
CNN:
US Fighter Jets Intercept Russian Bombers Near Alaska
“US and Canadian fighter jets intercepted two Russian long-range
bombers off the coast of Alaska Thursday, according to the North
American Aerospace Defense Command, which released images of the
encounter. Two US F-22 stealth jets and two Canadian CF-18 fighters
intercepted the nuclear-capable Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers after they
entered Alaskan and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones, which
extend approximately 200 miles off Alaska's western coast, NORAD said
in a statement. The Russian aircraft remained in international
airspace and never entered US or Canadian sovereign territory, the
statement added. This latest intercept comes at a complicated time in
US-Russian relations. On one hand, President Donald Trump has made it
clear that he wants to improve relations with Moscow, but at the same
time, the two countries have clashed over a wide range of geopolitical
issues, including Russia's annexation of Crimea, election interference
and the attempted poisoning of an alleged Russian spy in Britain.”
Syria
Voice
Of America: Pentagon: Da'esh Slight Comeback Causing Stir In
Region
“A Pentagon report that the Islamic State terror group is making a
resurgence in both Syria and Iraq is causing bit of a stir in the
region, where most governments would like to see a definitive end to
its saga. Arab media gave wide coverage to the U.S. Defense Department
report that the Islamic State group is making a comeback in both Iraq
and Syria, amid widespread contempt for the organization. Most people
in the region would like to see a quick end to IS, which has caused
death and destruction in a number of countries, including Syria and
Iraq. Islamic State's alleged leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,
purportedly appeared in a video in April, claiming that the group
would exact revenge for the loss of its so-called “caliphate.”
U.S.-backed Kurdish militia fighters captured the group's last
physical stronghold in the town of Baghuz, in eastern Syria, several
months ago, but scattered reports of sleeper cell attacks in parts of
Iraq and Syria persist. Reports about Baghdadi's whereabouts in recent
years have placed him variously in Mosul, Iraq along the Iraqi-Syrian
border, and in Raqqa, Syria. Arab media have reported that he was
wounded or near death on several occasions. Yet, the man in the video
appears to have no battle scars and no obvious traces of
hardship.”
The
Daily Beast: ISIS, Assad, And Turkey Are Waging A Shadow War On U.S.
Allies In Syria
“An enormous fire raged across several wheat fields outside this
town on July 6. It was a dry summer day and dark smoke towered over
the countryside as the flames spread across the farmland. Some locals
watched in awe at the inferno. Others tried to fight back with shovels
and rakes. They had little success. They watched the blaze consume
their livelihood. Locals told The Daily Beast that the fire started
near Turkish military checkpoints along the border and made its way
south across Kurdish farms. Scenes like this have become commonplace
this summer as fires have burned across Northeast Syria (or “Rojava”
as it is known to the Kurds and their supporters). They have been
particularly destructive this year and suspiciously concentrated in
contested territories that make up the lines between between
U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Turkish troops and Syrian
pro-regime forces—as well as scattered fires near former ISIS
strongholds. Now, as Turkish leaders threaten to invade this region,
things could heat up even more.”
The
Washington Post: There’s A New Opening For Trump To Avoid Disaster In
Syria
“This week, the United States and Turkey achieved a significant
breakthrough. After many months of negotiations, the two countries
agreed to coordinate on a joint buffer zone in northern Syria. This
development offers a rare and fleeting opportunity for President Trump
to step back from the brink of disaster. The president can salvage his
Syria policy by making clear the United States will stick around to
defend its vital national interests there. Ever since Trump announced
by tweet last December that he was withdrawing all U.S. troops from
Syria, without consulting most of his military commanders, the United
States’ Syria strategy — especially in the northeast — has been a
muddle. To his credit, the president partially walked back the
decision, announcing in February that a small, residual force would
remain to keep the Islamic State down, keep our partnership with the
Kurds and keep an eye on Iranian forces. But the U.S.-Turkey rift,
pushed to the breaking point by Turkish threats to unilaterally invade
northeast Syria, risks turning that ambiguous U.S. policy into a total
failure. If the Turks invade, the Kurds might ally with Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, to the advantage of Iran and the Islamic
State. Any remaining U.S. leverage to push for an acceptable political
solution would vanish.”
VOA:
US Promises Parts Of Security Deal For NE Syria To Move
‘Rapidly’
“The United States is promising a new agreement with Turkey will
help ease tensions and alleviate Ankara’s concerns in northeastern
Syria, even as Turkish officials accuse Washington of letting prior
agreements stall. U.S. and Turkish officials unveiled the deal
Wednesday, following three days of talks in the Turkish capital. It
calls for the establishment of a joint operations center in Turkey
that would then coordinate the creation of a “safe zone” in northeast
Syria, where Turkish officials have expressed increasing alarm over
the presence of Syrian-Kurdish fighters. The U.S. Defense Department
late Wednesday described the agreement as a crucial step, though it
said more work needs to be done. The talks “made progress toward
establishing a sustainable security mechanism in northeast Syria that
addresses the legitimate concerns of our NATO ally Turkey,” Pentagon
spokesman, Commander Sean Robertson, told VOA in statement.”
Iran
The
New York Times: U.S. Sanctions Turn Iran’s Oil Industry Into Spy Vs.
Spy
“They change offices every few months and store documents only in
hard copy. They scan their businesses for covert listening devices and
divert all office calls to their cellphones. They know they are under
surveillance, and assume their electronics are hacked. They are not
spies or jewel thieves but Iran’s oil traders, and they are suddenly
in the cross hairs of international intrigue and espionage.
“Sometimes I feel like I am an actor playing in a thriller spy movie,”
said Meysam Sharafi, a veteran oil trader in Tehran. Since President
Trump imposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales last year, information on
those sales has become a prized geopolitical weapon — coveted by
Western intelligence agencies and top secret for Iran. And the
business of selling Iranian oil, once a safe and lucrative enterprise
for the well connected, has been transformed into a high-stakes global
game of espionage and counterespionage.”
Radio
Farda: Trump Criticizes Macron For Sending ‘Mixed Signals’ To
Iran
“U.S. President Donald Trump has accused French President Emmanuel
Macron of sending “mixed signals” to Iran over possible talks with
Washington. "Iran is in serious financial trouble. They want
desperately to talk to the U.S., but are given mixed signals from all
of those purporting to represent us, including President Macron of
France," Trump tweeted on August 8. "I know Emmanuel means well, as do
all others, but nobody speaks for the United States but the United
States itself," Trump wrote. Trump in May 2018 pulled out of the
landmark nuclear deal that Iran signed with six world powers and began
reimposing crippling sanctions on Tehran, saying the terms were not
strict enough to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons.
Trump has indicated he is willing to talk to Iranian leaders, but
Tehran has said that the sanctions must first be lifted. France, along
with Britain, Germany, Russia, and China, has remained a part of the
2015 nuclear deal and unsuccessfully urged Washington to stay within
the accord.”
Financial
Times: Designated Chief Of Iran Payments Channel Pulls Out At Last
Moment
“European efforts to launch a payments channel to facilitate trade
with Iran suffered a fresh setback on Thursday when the German former
diplomat who was set to take over as the new chief of Instex was
forced to pull out at the last moment. The move by Bernd Erbel, 72, a
former ambassador to Tehran, followed revelations in the German daily
Bild of a recent YouTube interview in which the designated Instex
chief voiced sympathy for Iran along with pointed criticism of Israel.
Among other things, he said that Israel was “more than ever an alien
body” in the Middle East. He also described the fall of Saddam Hussein
as the “greatest tragedy of the early 21st century”. The foreign
ministry in Berlin said that Mr Erbel, who was presented as the new
head of Instex only last month, would not take on the role after all:
“Mr Erbel has informed the foreign ministry that he will not be
available for personal reasons.”
The
Washington Post: Iran’s Cooperation With The Taliban Could Affect
Talks On U.S. Withdrawal From Afghanistan
“In late 2018, as it became clear that the United States was
contemplating a withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Iranian military
announced that it was taking charge of the security of the border
between Afghanistan and Iran. This indication of Tehran’s increased
concern resulted from the prospect of renewed instability and
insecurity. Just a few weeks later came an exchange of visits between
Tehran and Taliban delegations. Iranian and Taliban representatives
weren’t meeting for the first time, but, in a departure from the past,
the Iranians publicized these meetings. Alongside these developments,
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif acknowledged that his
country had some level of cooperation with the Taliban. He also
summarized Iran’s current thinking on the Taliban: “It would be
impossible to have a future Afghanistan without any role for the
Taliban.” How did Iran’s recently publicized relationship with the
Taliban come about, and how might it affect the future of U.S.-Taliban
talks?”
Turkey
Morning
Star: Turkey Accused Of Extensive Links To Former ISIS
Fighters
“AN explosive new report has revealed extensive links between
senior members of the Isis death cult and Nato member Turkey,
including claims that intelligence services helped jihadists cross
into Syria to commit alleged war crimes against Kurds. The database,
published today by the Rojava Information Centre (RIC), draws on
information gathered from jihadist Telegram messaging groups and local
intelligence sources provided by the foreign ministry of North Eastern
Syria. It details more than 40 former senior jihadists, including Isis
commandeers, brigade leaders, recruiting officers and co-ordinators
who the report claims are working closely with Turkish intelligence
services (MIT). The former Isis fighters are now part of the
Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), which Ankara allied with during
its illegal invasion and occupation of the largely Kurdish canton of
Afrin in northern Syria during Operation Olive Branch in January 2018.
The FSA is made up of dozens of jihadist militias including Jaysh
al-Islam, Suleiman Shah and Sultan Murad — all of which have been
accused of atrocities. Ankara claimed its Afrin invasion, which
displaced up to 300,000 people and killed at least 500, according to
human rights groups, was to protect its border from terrorism.”
Afghanistan
Voice
Of America: Afghan Forces Claim Attack On IS Cells In
Kabul
“Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, the country’s
intelligence agency, released a new video showing its special forces
attacking Islamic State sleeper cells in rural areas of Kabul
Wednesday. The agency also said it arrested this week a key member of
the terror group accused of coordinating suicide attacks and managing
suicide bombers in the capital. The agency said in a statement that it
acted on prior intelligence about three locations around the capital,
killing two IS suicide bombers and seizing a large amount of
explosives and ammunitions. “We have killed two IS suicide bombers and
seized heavy weaponry, suicide vests, explosives and materials used to
improvise vehicular bombs,” the statement said. At least two members
of the Afghan security forces also died in the operation. Meanwhile,
Afghan officials told VOA they had arrested a key member of the
Islamic State terror group in Kabul. Eid Mohammad, nicknamed Abu Zar,
a resident of Kabul province, was arrested by security forces this
week. Abu Zar was responsible for coordinating suicide attacks in the
capital and was involved in several recent terror attacks on the
city.”
The
National: ISIS Recruitment Is Growing In Afghanistan As US And Taliban
Work For Peace
“In the shade of a riverside open-air restaurant in Afghanistan’s
Jalalabad, Bilal sits cross legged on a pillow, with his eyes scanning
the sky and the surrounding area ceaselessly. He jumps up nervously as
the shadow of a bird crosses over his face. Bilal 28, is a fighter
with IS Khorasan – the ISIS branch in Afghanistan – and says that over
the past year, they have gained a few thousand fighters in the
country, with their funding coming from interests abroad and criminal
activity, such as kidnapping. IS-K has been active in Afghanistan
since 2015. Its fighters pledge allegiance to ISIS command, which once
operated out of the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa. There its members
beheaded hostages, raped slaves and killed hundreds over accusations
including sorcery. The Afghan National Army and the US military, as
well as the Taliban, fight the extremist group in Afghanistan. “There
are an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 fighters and one fourth of them are
foreigners,” says Lt Gen Abdul Hadi Khalid, a researcher at the Afghan
Institute for Strategic Studies and former vice minister of interior.
Afghan’s spy agency puts the numbers much lower, saying that only
about 3,000 remain and most fighters enter the country through the
Iranian-Afghan border.”
TIME:
The U.S. Is Close To A Peace Deal With The Taliban, Officials
Say
“The U.S. and the Taliban both say they are close to calling it
peace after 18 years of war and multiple rounds of tense but cordial
negotiations between dark-suited diplomats and turbaned fighters over
cups of tea in plush hotels in Doha, Qatar. On one side of the
re-purposed ballroom tables, U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is working
relentlessly to close the hardest deal of his life: a peace agreement
that would allow U.S. forces to withdraw fast enough to meet President
Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign timetable but buy the Afghan government
enough time to negotiate a separate peace with the Taliban. On the
other side sit Taliban commanders who drove the last Soviet forces out
of Afghanistan 30 years ago, have fought the U.S.-led coalition to a
bloody stalemate, and are still battling Afghan forces while the
negotiations continue. An August 7 Taliban suicide attack on a police
station in Kabul, the Afghan capital, killed 14 and wounded 145. Both
Khalilzad and Taliban chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar are
now privately telling allies that they’ve reached a deal that would
require most conventional U.S. forces to withdraw before the end of
November 2020, shortly after the U.S. presidential election, multiple
U.S., Afghan and Pakistani officials briefed on the talks tell
TIME.”
Pakistan
Associated
Press: Indian PM: Changes In Kashmir Will Free It From
‘Terrorism’
“Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the nation Thursday night
that he stripped the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir of its
statehood and special constitutional status to free the disputed
region of “terrorism and separatism.” Modi’s Hindu-led nationalist
government imposed an unprecedented security lockdown and a near-total
communications blackout in the Muslim-majority region since Sunday
night, arresting more than 500 people. Kashmir is claimed in full by
both India and its archrival Pakistan, although each controls only a
part of it and rebels have been fighting Indian rule in the portion it
administers for decades. This week, India downgraded the Himalayan
region from statehood to a territory, limited its decision-making
power and eliminated its right to its own constitution. In his first
nationally broadcast speech on the decision, Modi described the
changes for Jammu and Kashmir, as the region is formally known, as
historic. He assured its residents that the situation will soon
“return to normal gradually,” although he gave no specifics. Modi said
the “mainstreaming” of the Kashmiri people with the rest of the
nation would expedite development and create new jobs with investment
from public and private companies.”
Bloomberg:
Pakistan Wants China’s Help To Skirt Terror-Financing
Blacklist
“Pakistan is looking to China and two other developing nations for
support in avoiding tough financial sanctions, amid signs it is
running out of time to meet global anti-money laundering and
counter-terrorism financing standards, according to people familiar
with the matter. The government in Islamabad expects it will fail to
comply with enough of the 27 action items set by the
Paris-based Financial Action Task Force before a final review in
October, the people said, asking for anonymity because of the
sensitivity of the discussions. Some FATF members -- notably
arch-rival India -- could then push for Pakistan to be moved to the
organization’s blacklist, which would reduce the country’s access to
the global financial system and potentially disrupt its $6
billion International Monetary Fund program, the people added. That
could trigger a balance of payments crisis, raising the stakes for
China and others to head off the move. Pakistan has been on FATF’s
“grey” monitoring list since last year, after a campaign by the U.S.
and European nations to get the country to do more to combat militancy
and close financing loopholes to terrorist groups.”
Yemen
Arab
News: Coalition intercepts Houthi drone targeting Saudi Arabia from
Yemen
“The Arab coalition intercepted a Houthi drone launched from Yemen
towards Jazan in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Coalition spokesman, Col.
Turki Al-Maliki, said the attempted attack “reflect the Houthis losses
on the ground.” Earlier, the coalition said the Houthis fired a
ballistic missile late Wednesday from a civilian site located in
Yemen’s Al-Hajjah governorate. Al-Maliki said the missile was launched
from a local market and fell within the same Yemeni governorate. It
was unclear what the militants were targeting. Such ”absurd attempts”
are an extension to previous acts by the Iranian-backed militia that
use civilian sites to launch their attacks from, Al-Maliki said. He
said the militia has previously used a university campus as a site to
launch a missile that fell on residential neighborhoods in Al-Jawf
governorate. As well as using the missiles inside Yemen, the
Iran-backed Houthis have launched dozens of strikes into Saudi Arabia,
targeting civilian infrastructure such as airports and oil pipelines.
The coalition says Iran has supplied the Houthis with ballistic
missile technology.The Houthis triggered the Yemen conflict when they
seized the capital Sanaa from the internationally recognized
government in 2014.”
Lebanon
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Lebanon Is Now A Hezbollah-Run State
“What began as a small shooting incident in the mountain village of
Qabr Shmoun is now a full-fledged political crisis threatening the
future of Lebanon. From weaving an ‘assassination attempt’ in an
alleged ‘ambush’ the crescendo has gone to arguing the powers of the
President and the Prime Minister. This is an issue that most Lebanese
politicians have avoided discussing either because they are convinced
that it is untreatable but only kept at bay, or feel it is futile to
handle in a dangerous regional climate. The ‘Qabr Shmoun Incident’,
indeed, has shown - like many before it – that the Lebanese may have
ended the combat side of the Civil War (1975-1990) but continue to
fight it in every other form. Absent are the goodwill, the true
reconciliation and entente, the healthy coexistence, and the
willingness to have a real state and citizenship. A few years ago,
Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general said “… why don’t you
build a state first”, when answering a question about why his party
refuses to hand over its arsenal to the Lebanese state.”
Middle East
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Al-Qaeda And The Decentralization Of
Terrorism
“According to several anonymous American intelligence officials,
Osama Bin Laden’s favorite son, Hamza, has been killed. Information on
when (sometime in the past two years), how (possibly an airstrike),
where (likely in Afghanistan) and by whom (involving America) remains
unclear. According to some Afghan sources, Hamza had allegedly been
spending time in January 2019 in the Shultan Valley of Afghanistan’s
northeastern Kunar province, where he was residing with a
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba commander known as “Mawyaa.” According to Hamza
himself, one of his sons was killed in a possible airstrike in
Afghanistan in 2017, so Hamza was clearly being tracked, presumably by
those who finally killed him. Ever since his emergence in August 2015,
Hamza Bin Laden was perceived by many as being positioned to take over
from Ayman al-Zawahiri as al-Qaeda’s global leader. Al-Qaeda itself
declared that Hamza was “a young lion” who would “carry forward the
cause.” But beyond assumptions made primarily in the West, it was
never clear whether Hamza truly was the inevitable successor of
Zawahiri. In fact, his messages rarely attracted the level of
attention or excitement that al-Qaeda might have wished.”
The
Jerusalem Post: Palestinian Terrorist Factions Applaud West Bank
Terror Attack
“Several Palestinian factions on Thursday welcomed the murder of
off-duty soldier Dvir Sorek in the Gush Etzion area, while the
Palestinian Authority expressed fear that Israel would use the
terrorist attack to intensify its security measures against
Palestinians in the West Bank. The factions and many Palestinian
activists urged Arab villagers in the Gush Etzion area to immediately
delete footage or remove private security cameras so as to prevent the
IDF from identifying the terrorists. In separate statements, the
Palestinian factions praised the “heroic operation” and said it was a
“natural response to Israeli crimes.” Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud
Shehab described the murder as “heroic” and “bold,” and said it
carried an important message to Israel because of its policy of
holding Palestinians in administrative detention. “This operation is a
natural response to the crimes of the occupation, the latest of which
was the demolition of houses in Wadi al-Hummus,” he said, referring to
the recent demolition by the IDF of 12 illegal buildings near the east
Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher. “The operation,” he added,
“affirms that all settlers and occupation soldiers are legitimate
targets for the Palestinian resistance.”
Egypt
Voice
Of America: Egypt Says Security Forces Killed 17 Islamic
Militants
“Security forces killed at least 17 suspected militants in raids in
Cairo and in another province, Egypt officials said Thursday, four
days after a car filled with explosives wrecked outside the county's
main cancer hospital, killing at least 20 people in the ensuing
explosion. The Interior Ministry, which oversees the police, said in a
statement that eight of the militants were killed when security forces
stormed their hideout in the town of Atsa in Fayoum province, about 80
kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Cairo. It said another seven were
killed in the Cairo suburb of Shortouk. The remaining two, including a
brother of the suspected militant who was driving the car, were also
killed in Cairo, the ministry said. It said police arrested another
suspect. The statement said the militants were members of Hasm, which
has links to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. The ministry released a
series of images and video purportedly depicting some of the militants
and assault rifles found in their hideouts. The statement did not say
when the raids took place, or whether police forces were wounded in
the clashes with the militants.”
Xinhua:
Egypt's Prosecution Orders Trial Of 10 People For Joining
IS
“Egypt's state prosecution on Thursday ordered the trial of 10
Egyptian and Libyan nationals on charges of joining the militant group
Islamic State (IS) in Libya, the official news agency MENA reported.
The defendants facilitated the travel of Egyptian workers to Libya
with an aim of committing terrorist crimes that jeopardized the
interests of Egypt, the prosecution statement read. They also
kidnapped some Egyptian citizens to seek ransom, while killing or
torturing some others, it said. From 2011 until August 2017, some of
the accused militants worked with terrorist groups in Libya including
IS on killing Egyptians working in Libyan cities, according to the
statement. Egypt is concerned about its 1,200-km western borders with
Libya, where the smuggling of arms and militants has been active since
the 2011 uprisings in the two countries.”
Nigeria
Deutsche
Welle: Boko Haram: Nigeria Moves To Deradicalize Former
Fighters
“The Nigerian government has developed an action plan for the total
deradicalization and rehabilitation of former Boko Haram insurgents in
a bid to find a lasting solution to the persistent Islamic extremism
crisis in the country's north-east. The initiative was first proposed
at the Nigerian National Security Council (NSC) meeting in September
2015, after which repentant Boko Haram members were encouraged to
surrender and embrace peace. Hundreds of former insurgents, who either
surrendered or were captured during clashes with Nigerian security
forces, are currently undergoing the process of deradicalization in
line with the government's Operation Safe Corridor. Since 2011, the
Boko Haram insurgency has killed over 50,000 people and displaced at
least 2.1 million across Nigeria. The majority of their activity takes
place in Borno State, including kidnappings and reprisal attacks.
Following their release from rehabilitation centers, the ex-insurgents
are issued certificates confirming their 'psychosocial normalcy'
before they return to live in local communities. Treatment involves a
combination of psychotherapy, art therapy and psycho-spiritual
counseling. Boko Haram's extremist narrative is also broken down by
imams, who hold lectures aimed at shifting the participants'
simplistic worldview by offering alternative interpretations of
Islamic texts and values.”
Somalia
All
Africa: Somalia: “We Are Coming For You Ruthlessly” -
U.S. Tells Al-Shabaab
“Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, the new commander of U.S. Africa
Command, visited Somalia on Wednesday and pledged to continue
pressuring violent extremists such as al-Shabab. Townsend is now on
his first trip to the African continent since he took charge of
AFRICOM July 26. He met with Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre
in the capital city of Mogadishu, as well as U.S. Ambassador Donald
Yamamoto and senior Somali military leadership, AFRICOM said in a
release. AFRICOM said Townsend's trip allowed him to assess the
situation in Somalia, and reinforce AFRICOM's commitments to the
region's security. “I am committed to working together and advancing
our partnership with Somalia,” Townsend said in the release. “Along
with Somalia and other international partners, we will apply continued
pressure on violent extremist organizations. This pressure creates
conditions and opportunity for further political and economic
development.” Townsend said that Somali forces must keep pushing
al-Shabab out of the remaining areas they hold to free Somali people
living there, and that degrading the terrorist group's threat supports
the interests of both Somalia and the United States.”
North Korea
Reuters:
North Korea Took $2 Billion In Cyberattacks To Fund Weapons Program:
U.N. Report
“North Korea has generated an estimated $2 billion for its weapons
of mass destruction programs using “widespread and increasingly
sophisticated” cyberattacks to steal from banks and cryptocurrency
exchanges, according to a confidential U.N. report seen by Reuters on
Monday. Pyongyang also “continued to enhance its nuclear and missile
programmes although it did not conduct a nuclear test or ICBM
(Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) launch,” said the report to the
U.N. Security Council North Korea sanctions committee by independent
experts monitoring compliance over the past six months. The North
Korean mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for
comment on the report, which was submitted to the Security Council
committee last week. The experts said North Korea “used cyberspace to
launch increasingly sophisticated attacks to steal funds from
financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges to generate
income.” They also used cyberspace to launder the stolen money, the
report said.”
Europe
France
24: Chechnya Sends Ex-IS Women Into Schools, Not
Jails
“Mother of five Zalina Gabibulayeva says she was “tricked” into
joining the jihadists in Syria five years ago. Now, repentant and
repatriated to Russia's Chechnya, she goes into schools to teach
others of the dangers of extremism. Countries around the world are
grappling with the question of how to treat citizens who travelled to
the Islamic State “caliphate” and have since decided to return. That
problem is felt particularly keenly in Russia, which has seen
thousands of people leave to fight alongside jihadists in Syria,
according to President Vladimir Putin. While some Western nations have
stripped IS recruits of citizenship or banned them from coming back,
Russia has actively repatriated women and children -- though the
return of women was suspended more than a year ago over security
concerns. Most of Russia's IS recruits came from Muslim-majority
Caucasus republics such as Chechnya, the site of two bloody separatist
conflicts with Moscow in the 1990s and now notorious for human rights
abuses. The republic however has welcomed in women like Gabibulayeva
-- with the expectation some go to work to prevent young Muslims from
becoming radicalised. “We're useful. We can tell the new generation
about what happened to us, so they don't make the same mistakes we
did,” the 38-year-old says as her two youngest children play on the
floor of her flat in regional capital Grozny.”
Technology
The
Wall Street Journal: FBI Surveillance Proposal Sets Up Clash With
Facebook
“An effort by the FBI to more aggressively monitor social media for
threats sets up a clash with Facebook Inc.’s privacy policies and
possibly its attempts to comply with a record $5 billion settlement
with the U.S. government reached last month. The Federal Bureau of
Investigation is soliciting proposals from outside vendors for a
contract to pull vast quantities of public data from Facebook, Twitter
Inc. and other social media “to proactively identify and reactively
monitor threats to the United States and its interests.” The request
was posted last month, weeks before a series of mass murders shook the
country and led President Trump to call for social-media platforms to
do more to detect potential shooters before they act. The deadline for
bids is Aug. 27. As described in the solicitation, it appears that the
service would violate Facebook’s ban against the use of its data for
surveillance purposes, according to the company’s user agreements and
people familiar with how it seeks to enforce them.”
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