CEP Mentions
Russian Roulette In Yemen | War On The Rocks
CEP Non-Resident Fellow Ari Heistein made an appearance on “The WarCast” podcast from War On The Rocks to discuss recent events in Yemen.
United States
Associated Press: Trump Pentagon Pick Had Been Flagged By Fellow Service Member As Possible ‘Insider Threat’
“Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member due to a tattoo on his bicep that’s associated with white supremacist groups. Hegseth, who has downplayed the role of military members and veterans in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack and railed against the Pentagon’s subsequent efforts to address extremism in the ranks, has said he was pulled by his District of Columbia National Guard unit from guarding Joe Biden’s January 2021 inauguration. He’s said he was unfairly identified as an extremist due to a cross tattoo on his chest.”
Iraq
Reuters: Iraq’s Missing Yazidis: Inside The Long Search For Islamic State Captives
“Aydin Hadid Talal thought his whole family had been killed in Islamic State’s ferocious assault on Iraq’s Yazidi religious minority a decade ago. Then last year, the 20-year-old started receiving messages from a Facebook account he didn’t recognize, asking about his missing brother, Rojin. “Can you give me a call?” the person asked. “No, I can’t. I don’t know you,” Aydin said. “I’m Rojin,” came the response. The last time Aydin had seen his younger brother was in March 2019, when they were both captives of IS in Syria. He asked to see a picture to confirm it was Rojin. It was. They then spent more than two hours on a video call. They were eager to reunite, but it wouldn’t be easy. Rojin, who is 18, was working in Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria that is a last bastion of anti-government rebels and Islamist extremists with ties to al-Qaeda and IS.”
Reuters: Roadside Bomb Kills Three Soldiers In Northern Iraq
“A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army vehicle killed three soldiers in northern Iraq on Sunday, police and hospital sources said. The attack near the town of Tuz Khurmatu, about 175 km (110 miles) north of the capital Baghdad, critically wounded two others, they said. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility. Its news agency, Amaq, said two senior officers and a soldier had been killed and three others wounded. Islamic State was defeated in 2017 after seizing swathes of Iraq and Syria, but remnants continue to conduct hit-and-run attacks against government forces.”
Turkey
Reuters: Hamas Political office Has Not Moved To Turkey From Qatar, Turkish Source Says
“A Turkish diplomatic source dismissed on Monday reports that Hamas had moved its political office to Turkey from Qatar, adding that members of the Palestinian militant group only visited the country from time to time. Qatar said last week it had told Hamas and Israel that it will suspend efforts to mediate a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal until both show willingness and seriousness. Doha also said media reports that it had told Hamas to leave the Gulf Arab country were not accurate. NATO member Turkey has fiercely criticised Israel over its offensives in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon and does not consider Hamas a terrorist organisation. Some Hamas political officials regularly visit Turkey. "Hamas Political Bureau members visit Turkey from time to time. Claims that indicate the Hamas Political Bureau has moved to Turkey do not reflect the truth," the diplomatic source said.”
Afghanistan
The Guardian: Revealed: The Truth Behind The Taliban’s Brutal Kabul ‘Regeneration’ Programme
“When the Taliban began a sweeping redevelopment drive in Kabul soon after returning to power three years ago, they claimed there was a need to modernise Afghanistan’s historic capital. A new investigation, however, reveals that the Taliban’s regeneration programme has left thousands of people homeless and had a brutal impact on the most vulnerable communities, with claims of properties being demolished with children still inside. Using satellite imagery, social media footage and testimony from Afghan residents, the findings offer a first comprehensive insight into the Taliban’s ambitious redevelopment of Kabul – but also its true cost. Satellite analysis indicates that 1.56 sq km (385 acres) of the city – the equivalent of more than 220 football pitches – was flattened within the city between August 2021 and August 2024.”
BBC: 'We Are Dying Every Moment' - The Afghans Risking Their Lives To Reach UK
“The first time Azaan made the jump across the wall, he broke his arm. Braving the 20ft (6m) drop into a wide trench below is, for many Afghans, the only way to cross into Turkey from Iran - and yet hundreds risk it each day. “I was in severe pain,” the former Afghan army officer told the BBC. “Several others had broken limbs. The smuggler left us here and told us to run in the direction of the lights of Van city. Many of us were fading out of hunger. I fainted.” The wall - which stretches for nearly 300km (185 miles) - was built to prevent illegal crossings, and is patrolled constantly by Turkish border forces. Jumping off it is among the first of a series of extraordinary risks Afghan migrants take as they cross continents, countries and seas to reach the UK and other countries in Europe.”
Pakistan
Reuters: Militants Kill Seven Paramilitary Troops In Southwestern Pakistan
“Militants stormed a paramilitary checkpoint in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing seven troops, the latest in a string of attacks by separatist insurgents, police said. The early-morning attack in the mountainous Kalat district, some 150 km south of Quetta, capital of the southwestern Balochistan province, continued for several hours, said police officer Habib-ur-Rehman. Another 18 wounded paramilitary soldiers, some in critical condition, were admitted to local hospitals, he said. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack.
Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said in an email sent to a Reuters reporter that its fighters had attacked the checkpoint.”
Yemen
Associated Press: Suspected Houthi Rebels In Yemen Target A Ship In The Red Sea And Gulf Of Aden
“Suspected attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a commercial ship traveling through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, though no damage or injuries were reported, authorities said Monday. The attacks come as the rebels continue their monthslong assault targeting shipping through a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it a year over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon. The ship’s captain saw that “a missile splashed in close proximity to the vessel” as it traveled in the southern Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting to the Gulf of Aden in the first attack late Sunday night, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said in an alert. The attack happened some 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Yemen port city of Mocha.”
Middle East
Associated Press: An Israeli Strike In Beirut Kills Hezbollah’s Spokesman, While A Strike In Gaza Kills At Least 30
“A rare Israeli strike in central Beirut killed the Hezbollah militant group’s chief spokesman on Sunday, while an Israeli strike in northern Gaza ’s Beit Lahiya killed at least 30 people, a hospital director there told The Associated Press. Mohammed Afif al-Naboulsi was killed in a strike on the Arab socialist Baath party’s office in Beirut, Hezbollah confirmed in a statement. He had been especially visible after all-out war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah in September. Israel’s military in a statement said he “wielded significant influence over Hezbollah’s military operations” and “glorified and incited” attacks on Israel. It was the latest targeted killing of a senior Hezbollah official. On Sunday night, another strike in central Beirut hit a computer shop, killing two people and wounding 22, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. There was no immediate comment from Israel’s military.”
Nigeria
Reuters: Nigeria And India Agree Deeper Ties In Maritime Security, Counter-Terrorism
"Nigeria and India on Sunday agreed to deepen collaboration in maritime security, intelligence and counter-terrorism during a state visit to the West African country by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi is the first Indian premier to visit Nigeria in 17 years after an invitation by President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking investments from some of the world's biggest economies. Modi arrived in the capital Abuja on Saturday night and met Tinubu at the presidential villa on Sunday where the two leaders also discussed economic development, defence, healthcare and food security, a joint statement said. With growing threats in the Gulf of Guinea and the Indian Ocean, the two countries agreed to coordinated action to safeguard maritime trade routes and combat piracy. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, is seeking to woo more Indian investment and cheaper lines of credit to boost its economy and create jobs."
Africa
The Times Of India: PM Modi, Nigerian President Pledge To Fight Terrorism & Radicalisation
“PM Narendra Modi and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu committed to jointly fighting terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation as the latter on Sunday hosted Modi for what was the first visit by an Indian PM to the West African country in 17 years. Modi spoke about opening a new chapter in ties as he stressed the importance India attaches to its strategic partnership with Nigeria. India and Nigeria had held their second strategic and counterterrorism dialogue earlier this month, in the run up to Modi's visit. The PM identified terrorism and radicalisation along with piracy and drug trafficking as major challenges the two countries were facing and pledged to intensify cooperation in order to deal with them. The two leaders talked in detail about deepening cooperation in defence and security.”
Associated Press: At Least 13 People Killed And More Kidnapped By Extremist Rebels In Eastern Congo
“At least 13 people were killed and others kidnapped in eastern Congo by extremist rebels linked to the Islamic State group, local authorities said Saturday. Rebels with the Allied Democratic Forces, which has ties to IS, killed civilians in Mabisio village in North Kivu province, said the area’s administrator, Col. Alain Kiwewa, on state television. Women were among those killed in the attack late Friday evening, and houses were burned and looted, he said. Eastern Congo has struggled with armed violence for decades as more than 120 groups fight for power, land and valuable mineral resources, while others try to defend their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings. In recent years, ADF attacks have intensified and spread towards Goma, eastern Congo’s main city, as well as neighboring Ituri province.”
France
Reuters: French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor To Appeal Against Lebanese Militant's Release
“The office of France's anti-terrorism prosecutor said on Friday it would appeal against a French court's decision to grant the release of a Lebanese militant jailed for attacks on U.S. and Israeli diplomats in France in the early 1980s. PNAT said Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, a former head of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Brigade, would be released on Dec. 6 under the court's decision on condition that he leave France and not return. Abdallah was given a life sentence in 1987 for his role in the murders of U.S. diplomat Charles Ray in Paris and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in 1982, and in the attempted murder of U.S. Consul General Robert Homme in Strasbourg in 1984. Representatives for the embassies of the United States and Israel, as well as the Ministry of Justice, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.”
Southeast Asia
The Washington Post: Philippines Pivots From Battling Militants To Projecting Power At Sea
“For a half-century, Philippine soldiers deployed on the southwestern edge of the country have been dedicated to squashing separatist movements led by Islamist rebels. Now, the troops here are being retrained to confront what their leaders see as a different and urgent threat: China. Chinese forces in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway claimed in part by the Philippines and six other governments, have become increasingly assertive, not only posing a threat to Philippine security but also challenging a Western-led effort to contain China’s power in the wider region, according to Philippine leaders and Western security analysts. The Philippine military must overhaul its capabilities after decades of focusing on internal guerrilla wars, military analysts say.”
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