April 1, 2020

Bloomberg: Al-Shabaab Says It Executed Six People In Somalia For Spying <[link removed]>

“Al-Shabaab executed six men it said were spying for Somali intelligence agencies, the U.S. and Kenya, according to a broadcast on Radio Andalus, which supports the Islamist group that’s linked to al-Qaeda. The executions took place Tuesday in the town of Buale, an al-Shabaab stronghold in the semi-autonomous region of Jubaland. Mohamed Bare, a Jubaland army officer, said the military had received news of the executions and would conduct an investigation.”

Reuters: Taliban Team Arrives In Kabul To Begin Prisoner Exchange Process <[link removed]>

“A three-member Taliban team arrived in Kabul on Tuesday to begin a prisoner exchange process pivotal to starting talks between the insurgents and the government side to end Afghanistan’s 18-year-old war. The peace talks, known as the intra-Afghan dialogue, were envisaged in an agreement between the United States and the Taliban signed in Doha, which also stipulated an exchange of 6,000 prisoners held by the Afghan government and the Taliban. “Our three-member technical team will help the process of prisoners’ release by identification of the prisoners, (and) their transportation,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters. The prisoner release had been a sticking point, with the Taliban and the Afghan government differing over the process and timing of the exchange. However, after weeks of back and forth, the process is set to begin with the arrival of the Taliban team, which will set up camp at a luxury hotel in Kabul. “They are here now and we will begin our discussion; the prisoner release might go ahead in a few days if everything goes as planned,” a senior Afghan government official told Reuters. Mujahid said the Taliban team expected practical work to start in the next few days on a deal with the U.S.-backed government, to which the Taliban had previously refused to speak directly.”

United States

The Wall Street Journal: Justice Department Watchdog Finds New Problems In FBI Surveillance Applications <[link removed]>

“More than two dozen Federal Bureau of Investigation applications to monitor Americans suspected of having links to foreign intelligence or terrorism had errors in their files, a Justice Department watchdog said, representing 100% of the sampling of applications he examined. The results point to widespread problems at the FBI, including sloppy recordkeeping by case agents, and indicate the shortcomings aren’t limited to those previously found in the highly scrutinized requests to surveil for former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. In a report released Tuesday, the Justice Department’s inspector general said he discovered “apparent errors or inadequately supported facts” in the files meant to provide factual support for the information cited in the 25 secret applications. Those requests sought wiretapping authority from a special court under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, a law that is the subject of pointed debate in Congress. The report said investigators found facts in all 25 applications that were either not supported, not clearly corroborated or inconsistent with documentation in factual-support files, though it didn’t look at the broader case file for such information.”

Syria

Voice Of America: Kurdish Officials, Rights Groups Concerned Coronavirus Will Spread Among IS Prisoners In Syria <[link removed]>

“As the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world, Kurdish officials and rights groups are warning of a catastrophe if thousands of Islamic State (IS) militants held in northeast Syria become infected with the deadly virus. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led military alliance that has been a major U.S. partner in the fight against IS in Syria, said the possibility is highly likely because local authorities lack adequate resources to prevent the virus from spreading. “If the coronavirus reaches to these prisons, it will be out of control,” Nuri Mahmud, a senior SDF official, said. “If the world is struggling to contain the spread of this virus, you can imagine how extremely difficult it is for us to deal with this crisis with our limited capacity,” he told VOA. The SDF is holding at least 10,000 IS fighters, including nearly 2,000 foreign nationals, captured following the military defeat of the terror group in March 2019. Rights groups fear that COVID-19 could spread quickly in prisons and detention centers in Syria because of poor sanitation, lack of access to clean water and severe overcrowding.”

Yahoo News: Projectiles Fired Over Syrian Prison Amid Riot By Islamic State Detainees <[link removed]>

“Footage shared on March 30 showed projectiles coming from a plane over a prison in al-Hasakah, Syria, as the US-led coalition said it was assisting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) following disturbances by Islamic State (IS) detainees. That day, SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said some of the inmates had escaped and were being searched for, and said IS prisoners had taken over the first floor of the prison, having removed internal walls and doors. The following morning, he tweeted that the situation had been brought under control, with no escapees. The US-led coalition in Syria said it provided “aerial surveillance” to help the SDF “quell an uprising” at the prison. “The facility holds low-level ISIS members,” the coalition added. This footage shows lines of smoke in the air after planes fly overhead, and two ambulances entering the prison.”

Iran

The Wall Street Journal: A Better Way To Deter Iran In Iraq <[link removed]>

“The fear that World War III would begin after the January killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani always was overwrought. But a crisis provoked by Iran is never far off, even during a pandemic. After a series of rocket attacks against U.S. bases in Iraq, the Pentagon reportedly is drawing up plans to eliminate Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite militia in the country. President Trump hasn’t announced a policy change as his advisers debate whether the U.S. should do more to deter Tehran’s proxies. Rockets fired by Kataib Hezbollah killed two Americans and one Brit in Iraq on March 11. Coalition forces hit five weapons depots near Baghdad in response, but the group wasn’t deterred: A few days later, 33 Katyusha rockets were launched at a U.S. base in Iraq, wounding three Americans and several Iraqis. The Administration’s critics say that turning up the heat on these militias could polarize Iraqi politics and risk the U.S. presence in the country. Airstrikes can put innocent lives in danger, and a robust response could produce a nationalist backlash that threatens America’s standing in Iraq. But if U.S. troops can’t defend themselves while assisting their Iraqi partners, Washington has already lost.”

The Washington Times: Lifting U.S. Sanctions Against Iran's Regime Won't Stop The Terrorism Or Oppression <[link removed]>

“The “echo chamber” is back. You know what I’m talking about, right? Ben Rhodes was President Obama’s “deputy national security adviser for strategic communications,” a hifalutin term for the White House’s foreign policy spin-meister. Four springs ago, in The New York Times Magazine, ace journalist David Samuels profiled Mr. Rhodes, marveling at how he “skillfully shapes and ventriloquizes” the voices of “columnists and reporters.” “We created an echo chamber,” Mr. Rhodes boasted in answer to a question about all those “cheerleading” for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, the deal Mr. Obama cut with Iran’s rulers. Mr. Rhodes proudly noted that his friends in the media “were saying things that validated what we had given them to say.” Despite those efforts, more than 60 percent of Congress did not, in the end, support the JCPOA, while polls showed the public disapproving by a 2-1 margin. Nevertheless, Mr. Obama sealed the deal on his own authority in 2015. That made it relatively easy for his successor, on his own authority, to withdraw in 2018. The chamber’s echoes never entirely faded away. Diehard deal supporters and defenders of the Tehran regime continued to lament America’s withdrawal from an agreement that enriched Iran’s rulers, funded terrorism abroad and repression at home while, at best, delaying their entry into the nuclear weapons club.”

Iraq

The Hill: Service Member With Anti-ISIS Coalition In Iraq Dies In Noncombat Incident <[link removed]>

“A service member with the international coalition to defeat ISIS was killed in a noncombat incident in northern Iraq Monday. Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve said in a statement Wednesday that the coronavirus was not a suspected cause of the troop’s death, which took place in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region. The coalition is withholding the identity and nationality of the service member until notification of next of kin. The cause of death is still under investigation. Eighty-two countries are currently in the coalition to defeat ISIS. Coalition troops are largely based at Irbil’s international airport.”

Afghanistan

Foreign Policy: Waiting For Peace On The Front Lines <[link removed]>

“In late November 2019 in Nahr-e-Saraj, a contested district in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, Afghan Border Police (ABP) Col. Ahmad Sagoori, 36, draped a heavy woolen blanket over his uniform. Helmand is hot in the summer, but the evenings had turned crisp. Twenty days earlier, Sagoori and his men, along with local police, retook the sparsely populated agricultural district from a group of local Taliban militants, who frequently reappeared to harass the outpost with sporadic sniper fire. Despite the ABP forces being severely undermanned, the Taliban concentrated recent attacks on the local police, who have less training and equipment, making them easier targets. “Now that we’ve pushed them out of the district center, we’re able to hold the area much more effectively,” Sagoori said. Though it seemed that the tide of the war was beginning to turn in favor of the government forces, the colonel didn’t see a long-term military solution. “Afghanistan is tired,” Sagoori said softly—a sentiment echoed by many Afghans, soldiers, and civilians alike. He said only a political solution could bring about lasting change for Afghanistan. In September, peace talks between the United States and the Taliban to end the 18-year war had broken down.”

Saudi Arabia

The National: Saudi Arabia Invites Houthi Rebels For Talks In Kingdom <[link removed]>

“Saudi Arabia is enabling a diplomatic channel with Yemen’s Houthi rebels to try to end the five-year war. Efforts to end the conflict are being pushed by the UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, who led peace talks more than a year ago in Sweden. An agreement was reached on a ceasefire in the port city of Hodeidah and a prisoner exchange but hostilities and mistrust stalled the process. Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber, told The Wall Street Journal that Riyadh had been in direct talks with the rebels since last September and invited them to the kingdom. The invitation for talks in the country were “undertaken at the request” of the UN envoy, Mr Al Jaber said. “This is part of Martin Griffiths's process,” a western diplomat told The National. Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Houthi rebels welcomed an agreement to de-escalate the conflict last Thursday to battle the spread of the coronavirus in the region. Yemen has not officially recorded any cases of the virus. The agreement follows a surge in violence at the weekend. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted two ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh and Jizan at the weekend, part of a drone and missile attack by the Iran-backed rebels.”

Lebanon

Foreign Policy: Hezbollah Prepares For Its Next War: Against The Coronavirus <[link removed]>

“Dozens of journalists piled into a convoy of Hezbollah-arranged vehicles on Tuesday to be transported to the movement’s newest front line: the fight against the coronavirus. Nearby, a line of dozens of paramedics stood ready but completely idle, posed in front of some of the 70 ambulances Hezbollah says it has prepared for epidemic. Trucks and men on foot from the Islamic Health Society sprayed the streets with disinfectant, filling the neighborhood of Borj el-Barajneh with the smell of chlorine. “Hezbollah is the only one doing anything. The government isn’t doing anything,” said one bystander, Hussein Zaaiter, sitting on a cement step watching the crowd of journalists next to the long row of posed paramedics and ambulances. “You can see these ambulances. You can see them disinfecting the streets.” Zaaiter sat just a foot from his friend. Neither was wearing masks or gloves. Many on the streets of Borj el-Barajneh lingered around without masks or gloves, and pairs of young men zipped by on scooters, pressed up against each other sharing the seat. Hezbollah has also launched a large-scale awareness campaign. Others in the neighborhood seem split on who is doing what.”

Nigeria

Foreign Policy: As The World Is Distracted, Boko Haram Terrorists Strike A Key Western Ally <[link removed]>

“As the world’s attention turns almost completely to the coronavirus pandemic, the battle against jihadi terrorism in Africa’s vast Sahel region has taken one of its deadliest turns yet. On March 23, Boko Haram terrorists ambushed a military encampment of Chadian soldiers on the Boma Peninsula, in the Lake Chad region. Over seven hours, the militants—whose group’s name roughly means “non-Islamic education is a sin”—killed at least 92 heavily armed troops with machine guns and bombs and injured dozens of others. It is the deadliest attack the Chadian military has ever suffered. Chad’s ruler of 30 years—President Idriss Déby Itno—visited the site of the attack the next day and picked through the burned-out wreckage. “I have taken part in many operations,” he said in a televised address, “but never in our history have we lost so many men at one time.” The massacre will reverberate far beyond the region, for it highlights and compounds a worrying trend. The Chadian regime—long thought of as the West’s indispensable ally in the fight against terrorism in Africa—could be nearing breaking point. It is hard to imagine a more difficult nation to govern than Chad. The landlocked central African country is more than five times larger than Britain.”

Africa

The National: Thousands Flee Terrorist Attacks In Northern Mozambique <[link removed]>

“Thousands of people have arrived at Mozambique's northern city of Pemba after extremist attacks on two towns in the restive region. Terrorists attacked Mocimboa da Praia and the nearby town of Quissanga last week, ransacking government buildings and hoisting their flag before retreating. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq news agency. A video on social media last week showed men dressed in Mozambican army uniforms addressing Quissanga from the district governor's residence. The terrorist group has wreaked havoc in northern Mozambique for more than two years, killing more than 900 people, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project says. The attacks have displaced more than 200,000 people since the start of the insurgency in October 2017, local Catholic archbishop Dom Luiz Fernando said on Tuesday. The displaced have sought refuge in Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province, moving in with families and friends. Many arrived in boats after the main bridge on the motorway connecting Pemba to the north was damaged by floods. The government has told officials in the impoverished Pemba neighbourhood of Paquitequete, where boats dock, to record details of all the arrivals and where they will seek shelter.”

Australia

The Canberra Times: Qld Terrorism Suspect's COVID-19 Bail Bid <[link removed]>

“An alleged terrorism sympathiser is attempting to use the coronavirus crisis to get out of jail in Queensland. Alaa Adam Atwani is charged with attempting to provide support to a terrorist organisation in 2014. Prosecutors say the 28-year-old sent video-editing software to his ISIS-affiliated brother, Samir, in Syria. Atwani denies the charge and says he should be released in bail ahead of a likely trial in NSW, where he's accused of carrying out the offence. The threat of illness from COVID-19 is much greater south of the border, his lawyer Ruth O'Gorman told Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday. “NSW has been hit significantly harder,” she said. “If Mr Atwani is transferred in the very near future ... there is going to be significant and severe consequences for him.” He will have to be quarantined and locked down when he crosses the border. It will also leave the former engineer isolated from his family and legal team, who would find it difficult to visit due to quarantine regulations. “The circumstances confronting Mr Atwani are not only exceptional but quite unique,” Ms O'Gorman said. Commonwealth prosecutor Sinead Butler opposed bail, saying Atwani is accused of a serious terrorism offence and remains a flight risk if released.”

Southeast Asia

Reuters: Myanmar Charges Journalist Under Terrorism Law, Blocks News Websites <[link removed]>

“A Myanmar court charged a journalist who published an interview with the Arakan Army rebel group under a terrorism law on Tuesday while his website and others that cover conflict in the troubled western Rakhine state were blocked in the country. Myanmar last week declared the Arakan Army a terrorist group after more than a year of intense fighting against the organization, which recruits from the mostly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine majority and seeks greater autonomy for the region. The court in the second largest city, Mandalay, charged Nay Myo Lin, the editor-in-chief of Voice of Myanmar, under sections of the Terrorism Act for conducting the March 27 interview with the Arakan Army in which it responded to Myanmar’s decision to label it as a terrorist group. Nay Myo Lin’s lawyer, Thein Than Oo, confirmed the charges, which can carry a life sentence, but told Reuters he did not have any more details. The journalist’s wife, Zarni Mann, also confirmed to Reuters that her husband had been charged. The Myanmar Times quoted Judge Kyaw Swa Lin as saying that Nay Myo Lin had been arrested over last week’s interview. An Arakan Army spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”



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The Counter Extremism Project - United States
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