April 15, 2020

The National: Hezbollah Steps Up Campaign For Control Of Lebanon’s Financial System <[link removed]>

“Hezbollah is stepping up a campaign to place allies at the heart of Lebanon's financial authorities as the US seeks to disrupt the armed group's financial networks, four senior Arab financiers said on Thursday. The outcome of the political battle could extend Hezbollah's reach to the nerve centre of Lebanon's banking sector – once the most important in the region – and could hamper any chance the country has of emerging from the worst financial crisis in its modern history, they said. One of the four sources said Hezbollah “is delving into uncharted territory” by trying to install allies into the – until now – largely independent monetary authorities to help it circumvent intensified US sanctions. The US has been stepping up its financial pressure on Hezbollah – sanctioning dozens of its members business associates, as well as institutions tied to the group. The US has also placed crippling sanctions on Hezbollah's benefactor – Iran. “For almost three decades the monetary authorities have been forced into an accommodation with Hezbollah while maintaining their relative independence,” the Lebanese financier said. “It is something else for Hezbollah to put its hand on the system.”

The New York Times: Germany Arrests Four Men From Tajikistan Suspected Of Planning Attack <[link removed]>

“German police arrested on Wednesday four suspected members of Islamic State, all from Tajikistan, believed to have been planning deadly attacks in Germany, prosecutors said. Special forces in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia made the arrests near the cities of Essen and Duesseldorf and raided properties in the area. Prosecutors suspect the four men, with a fifth who has been in detention for the last year, of being in contact with leading members of Islamic State in Afghanistan and Syria and of receiving instructions from them. “Targets for the attacks were supposed to be institutions of U.S forces in Germany or even individual people,” said prosecutors in their statement. “In particular, they planned a murder attack on one person who had made public comments that they viewed as being critical of Islam,” the prosecutors added. The prosecutors said they believed the suspects had already carried out surveillance of the targeted individual and were procuring weapons, ammunition and components for a bomb. Prosecutors identified the suspects as Azizjon B., Muhammadali G., Farhodshoh K. and Sunatullokh K., in line with German privacy rules. The fifth man who is already in detention was identified as Ravsan B.”

Iraq

Reuters: Swiss Prosecutors Charge Iraqi As Islamic State Recruiter <[link removed]>

“Swiss federal prosecutors have filed charges against an Iraqi man accused of operating as a recruiter and trafficker for Islamic State, who has been held pending trial since May 2017, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said on Tuesday. “The suspect held a position of authority in relation to other IS members, some also high-ranking, and functioned as a recruiter, trafficker, cash-provider and as the recipient of instructions from leading IS members,” an OAG statement said. Its investigation uncovered an extensive network involving the suspect and more than 20 other alleged IS members in Switzerland, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Finland and another location as yet unidentified, it said. The man, who was not identified, is alleged to have agreed to prepare attacks in Switzerland, the OAG said, adding it had no indication an actual attack had been imminent. Switzerland has not experienced deadly militant attacks that have hit neighbouring countries such as Germany and France, but has identified hundreds of residents deemed a threat and cases of jihadi travellers who have left the country for war zones.”

The Tribune: 23 IS Militants Killed In Clashes In Northern Iraq <[link removed]>

“Iraqi security forces killed up to 23 Islamic State (IS) militants in clashes in a rural area in the northern province of Kirkuk, the Iraqi military said. During the operation, the troops found a cave in the rugged area used as a hideout for IS militants, sparking fierce clashes between the two sides and interference of the aircraft, the media office affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement. The operation resulted in the destruction of the hideout and the killing of 23 IS militants, while an Iraqi security member was killed and four others wounded, according to the statement. Earlier, a statement by the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces said they participated in the clashes in Kirkuk and put the death toll of IS militants at seven.”

Kurdistan 24: 2 Yezidi Fighters Killed In Blast During ISIS Operation Near Sinjar Mountain <[link removed]>

“The Iraqi army announced on Tuesday that two fighters from the Yezidi (Ezidi) Protection Units (YBS) militia group were killed and another five injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated during a joint security operation outside Sinjar (Shingal) earlier that day. According to a statement released by the Security Media Cell, the Iraqi military's communications center, YBS soldiers and army forces were conducting a sweep for remnants of the Islamic State within the village of Aziz, located in Qahtania district in a rural area surrounding Shingal Mountain. Shingal, near the Syrian border in Iraq's Nineveh province, is disputed by the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government. It also mentioned that local residents' property had been damaged and livestock had been killed or wounded. The YBS is compromised of members of Shingal's Ezidi religious minority, against which the Islamic State carried out a campaign of mass-murder and brutal persecution beginning in 2014 that has since been widely recognized as an act of genocide. The Iraqi army launched simultaneous operations backed by areal strikes in different parts of Iraq to hunt down Islamic State fighters, after escalating attacks by members of the organization in Kirkuk, Diyala, and Anbar provinces.”

Afghanistan

The Telegraph: Protection Or Propaganda? Taliban Swaps Weapons For Disinfectant In Coronavirus Public Health Video <[link removed]>

“The Taliban figures in the video are as carefully choreographed as in the militants' more usual propaganda films, but this time wear surgical masks and carry public health equipment rather than weapons. Instead of fighters performing synchronised battlefield drills or target practice in balaclavas and fatigues, the figures in pristine white appear to screen local villagers and disinfect buildings. An English voiceover gives assurances the militant movement is working house by house and village by village to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic in areas under its control. The recent video from the Taliban health commission in Kunduz province says the insurgent group is spreading health information and enforcing quarantine for residents returning from abroad. Arrival of the pneumonia-causing new coronavirus has been seized on by the insurgent movement as part of a long-running campaign against the government where it competes not only on the battlefield, but also in governance. The success of the Taliban insurgency has always been partly due to an extensive shadow regime promising fairer and quicker services than the corrupt government, and it is now also touting its response to the pandemic.”

Military.com: Taliban Say US Bombing Insurgents At Home Contrary To Deal <[link removed]>

“Washington peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with Pakistan’s military chief Tuesday, a day after discussing the lagging U.S.-Taliban peace deal in Afghanistan with the chief negotiator for the insurgent movement. The meetings included Gen. Scott Miller, head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Statements from the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the U.S. military in Kabul said Washington was engaged in “ongoing efforts” to find a sustainable peace after decades of relentless war but the U.S. officials released no details. Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the insurgent group's chief negotiator, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, used Monday's meeting at the Taliban's political office in Qatar to protest attacks against Taliban fighters in their homes, contrary to provisions of the Feb. 29 agreement. “Our men have been targeted in their residential areas while there is no room for such attacks in the agreement, either by the U.S. or their internal (Afghan) supporters,” he said, a reference to Afghan National Security Forces. The U.S. military has refused to address the Taliban's specific complaint but has said that it is abiding by the agreement and will continue to come to the aid of the Afghan military.”

France 24: Kabul Bans Motorbikes To Stem Taliban Killings And Crime <[link removed]>

“Authorities in Kabul will ban motorcycles and scooters in the Afghan capital in a bid to control rampant crime and stop assailants on two-wheelers from conducting targeted killings, officials said Tuesday. The ban, which takes effect Wednesday, comes after a string of assaults by armed men on motorbikes. Delivery riders, who are seeing heavy demand amid Kabul's coronavirus lockdown, will be exempted. “Most of the crimes in the city, including targeted killings and other crimes, are carried out using motorbikes,” interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told AFP. “We have therefore decided to ban the use of the motorbikes in Kabul city and its districts.” Speaking on condition of anonymity, a security official told AFP that the Taliban are conducting an increasing number of targeted killings of government officials. “They all use motorbikes to do hit and runs,” the official said, noting that street robberies by theives on motorcycles and scooters were also on the rise. Earlier this month,two of President Ashraf Ghani's bodyguards were shot dead in separate attacks by armed men on motorbikes, according to the official.”

Pakistan

Voice Of America: Pakistani Journalist Freed, But Anti-Terror Laws Still Threaten Media <[link removed]>

“A Pakistani journalist was freed from prison last week after an appeals court overturned his five-year sentence and conviction under Pakistan's anti-terrorism law. Nasrullah Chaudhry, a journalist for the daily Urdu-language newspaper Nai Baat, was convicted in December of possessing banned literature and helping a terrorist organization. Pakistan's journalism community described the Karachi court ruling on April 8 as a breath of fresh air, but said cyber and anti-terrorism laws are still being used to intimidate the media. The laws were enacted amid a surge in terror attacks during the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Rights groups criticized sweeping powers that allowed security agencies to detain and question suspects without court approval and warned that the laws could be used to silence those who criticize security and military agencies. More than 60 journalists were charged under anti-terror laws last year, including 50 from Sindh province, according to the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors' media freedom report. The headquarters of many Pakistani news outlets are based in Sindh province's capital, Karachi.  Journalists said the charges were connected to their reporting that offended ruling officials and security agencies, the report found.”

Egypt

France 24: Egyptian Policeman Killed In Cairo Gun Battle With Suspected Militants <[link removed]>

“An Egyptian policeman and seven suspected militants were killed on Tuesday in an exchange of gunfire, the ministry of interior said in a statement late on Tuesday. It said three other policemen had also been wounded. The exchange took place in the al-Amiyira district, the public prosecutor said in a statement. The ministry received information “that there is a terrorist cell, whose elements embrace Takfiri ideology, using several areas as a shelter in eastern and southern Cairo as a starting point to carry out terrorist operations,” the statement said. Egypt uses the term takfiri to refer to Islamist militants who often accuse their victims of being infidels. Two private television stations broadcast what they called footage of the shooting, which Reuters was not immediately able to verify, and asked residents to stay indoors. Weapons and ammunition were found with the suspects, the ministry said. The public prosecutor said a team of investigators has been despatched to the scene of the attack. Egypt has been fighting an Islamist insurgency in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 following mass protests against his rule.”

Asharq Al-Awsat: Egypt Police Neutralize Terrorist Cell In Cairo Suburb <[link removed]>

“While Egyptians on Tuesday were waiting in front of their TV screens for the daily COVID-19 report issued by the Health Ministry, they were surprised by news reporting a security attack on a terrorist cell in Al Amiriya neighborhood, east of Cairo. Egypt’s Interior Ministry said its security forces killed seven suspected militants in a shootout eastern Cairo following intelligence provided by the country’s security agency. It said clashes erupted as the forces raided a 10-story apartment in the neighborhood, where members of the cell were hiding. The ministry, which oversees police, said the forces seized weapons and ammunition in the raid, including six machine guns and four birdshot rifles. During the raid, Lieutenant officer Mohammed Fawzy Al Hofi and seven terrorists were killed while three others were wounded. The cell was reportedly planning attacks on the country´s Coptic Christians during the Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Egypt´s Coptic Orthodox Christians, one the world´s oldest Christian communities, would celebrate Easter on April 19. Local television channels showed images of the gun battle between Egyptian counter-terrorism forces and the terrorist elements while security officers were appealing to people, through speakers, to stay away from the area.”

Nigeria

The Wall Street Journal: Six Years After #BringBackOurGirls, Freed Chibok Captives Face Fresh Danger <[link removed]>

“Shortly before sundown, two of the young women infamously kidnapped from their high school in Chibok, Nigeria, by terrorist group Boko Haram and held for three years before being released were again running for their lives. Rakiya and Salomi were with their families outside their village when gunshots began strafing their homes. They fled with hundreds of villagers in different directions, stumbling through thorny scrubland and then cowering in long grasses beneath acacia trees. Rakiya was carrying her 5-year-old boy, who was born in captivity. Behind them, insurgents overran the village, killing five residents and looting the grain stores. They also kidnapped 10 young women including a recent high-school graduate, Patience Ishaku, who was set to begin college in Maiduguri city. “My only thought was to escape,” said Rakiya, whose family has since relocated to a nearby village in Nigeria’s northeast. “I just wanted to run and never see them again.” Six years after the Islamist militants kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok Government Secondary School for Girls on April 14, 2014, during their senior-year exams, the rising tempo of attacks nearby are raising a grim prospect: The young women whose ordeal spurred the world-wide #BringBackOurGirls campaign could easily become victims once more.”

Somalia

Brookings Institute: The Problem With Militias In Somalia: Almost Everyone Wants Them Despite Their Dangers <[link removed]>

“Militia groups have historically been a defining feature of Somalia’s conflict landscape, especially since the ongoing civil war began three decades ago. Communities create or join such groups as a primary response to conditions of insecurity, vulnerability and contestation. Somali powerbrokers, subfederal authorities, the national Government and external interveners have all turned to armed groups as a primary tool for prosecuting their interests. State-aligned militias help to offset the weakness of Somalia’s official security forces, produce greater motivation and better intelligence and enhance bonds with local communities, perhaps even suppressing crime and intraclan violence. However, Somalia’s State-aligned militia groups are also an underlying source of insecurity, violent contestation, abusive rule, impunity and pernicious outside manipulation. They give rise to and allow the entrenchment of powerful militant groups such as the Al-Qaida- supporting, jihadist Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, commonly referred to as al-Shabaab. As such, their increasingly central role in the fight against al-Shabaab is a double-edged sword: short-term military gains must be balanced against the militias’ longer-term, destabilizing impact.”

Africa

Yahoo News: Mozambique Police Dismiss Jihadist Threat In North After Attacks <[link removed]>

“Mozambican police on Tuesday dismissed the threat of Islamist militants controlling any territory in the north of country after a spate of jihadist attacks in the gas-rich region. Mozambique's northern region has been hit by jihadist assaults on remote villages since October 2017, but in recent weeks militants have stepped up attacks as part of a campaign for an Islamist caliphate in the region. Militants have temporarily seized government buildings, robbed banks, blocked roads and briefly hoisted a black and white jihadist flag over towns and villages across Cabo Delgado province. “There are no areas that can be said to be in the hands of insurgents, what exists are areas prone to incursions by criminals,” National Police commander Bernadino Rafael said at press briefing in neighbouring Nampula province. “The situation prevails and we are working to restore order.” Despite the promises of President Filipe Nyusi, neither the police nor the army, recently supported by private security companies in the region, have succeeded in preventing attacks.”

Europe

Foreign Policy: Coronavirus Has Paralyzed Europe’s Far Right <[link removed]>

“For the populist far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), getting near-constant attention and turning it into political momentum is not usually a problem. Through its politicians’ innate talent for provocation, their relentless focus on refugee and immigration issues, and their countless frustration-filled social media posts about government failures, the party has managed to consistently dominate headlines and hold disproportionate sway over the direction of political debate in Germany. AfD politicians are still tweeting anti-refugee messages and still criticizing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. But in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, with more than 125,000 confirmed cases of the virus in Germany and citizens largely sequestered at home, people don’t seem to be listening the way they used to. Far-right parties that are in power, to be sure, have already used the coronavirus as an opportunity to push through further authoritarian measures: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has passed legislation that significantly expands his emergency powers without an end date, and Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party is pushing ahead with a May presidential election despite the fact that its lockdown effectively prevents an actual campaign from taking place.”



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The Counter Extremism Project - United States
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