CEP Mentions
War On Rocks: Defeating The Houthis Will Require More Than Killing Their Chief
“Edmund Fitton-Brown, the former British ambassador to Yemen, recounted a chilling 2016 discussion with Houthi negotiators: Houthi officials claimed that their strategic advantage over Western-backed forces was that they “do not care how many Yemenis die, and when enough have died, [the West] will come to us on [their] knees and beg us to make peace.” This prediction generally proved accurate as pressure grew on the anti-Houthi coalition from 2018 onward to wind down the campaign in Yemen due to the conflict’s enormous humanitarian toll. However, while the Houthis do not care how many Yemenis die, the group might be deeply impacted by the death of one specific Yemeni: the leader of the group, Abdul-Malik al Houthi.”
WTOP News: The Hunt: How The Islamic State Group Regrouped In Somalia
“The Washington Post reported this week that the Islamic State terror group “has regrouped in Somalia — and has global ambitions.” On this week’s edition of “The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent J.J. Green,” Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, former U.N. coordinator for the U.N.’s al-Qaida, Taliban, ISIS monitoring groups, says this has been in the works since 2021.”
United States
The Independent: ‘Students Against Nazi Extremism’ Warn Tesla Owners To Sell Their Cars – Or Else
“A group calling itself “Students Against Nazi Extremism” is reportedly issuing threats to Tesla owners ito sell their vehicles or they will be vandalized, according to a local media report. Lost Coast Outpost reports that residents in Humboldt County in northern California found notes left on their Teslas saying "no Nazis in America." At least one of the notes was tied to a brick, according to local media reports. The group mailed a supposed manifesto to the news outlet claiming responsibility for the notes. The manifesto also issued threats to Tesla owners in Rohnert Park in Sonoma County north of San Francisco, Hayward in Alameda County in the city’s East Bay, and Seaside in Monterey County.”
The New York Times: Some Migrants Sent By Trump To Guantánamo Are Being Held By Military Guards
“Dozens of Venezuelan migrants sent by the Trump administration to the U.S. military base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, are being guarded by troops rather than civilian immigration officers, according to people familiar with the operation. While the Trump administration has portrayed the detainees as legally in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, military guards and medics are doing the work, the people said. The Trump administration has not released the migrants’ names, although at least two have been identified by their relatives through pictures released of the first flight.”
New York Post: Trump Fires USAID’s Top Watchdog After Reports Of Billions Wasted On Educating Al Qaeda Terrorist And Drag Shows
“President Trump has fired the top watchdog for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) — just as details resurfaced that the controversial agency had bankrolled the college education of an al Qaeda terrorist with ties to 9/11 hijackers. Paul Martin, who had served as the inspector general since 2023, was informed by a White House official via email Tuesday that his termination was “effective immediately.” Martin wasn’t given a reason for his firing, a copy of the email shows. The White House wouldn’t comment on his termination. His dismissal came just one day after his office had published a report criticizing Trump’s call to freeze USAID funds after finding that the agency had wasted billions on lefty schemes in recent years.”
Syria
Reuters: Exclusive: Syria's New Leaders Zero In On Assad's Business Barons
“Syria's new rulers are combing through the billion-dollar corporate empires of ousted president Bashar al-Assad's allies, and have held talks with some of these tycoons, in what they say is a campaign to root out corruption and illegal activity. After seizing power in December, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group that now runs Syria pledged to reconstruct the country after 13 years of brutal civil war and abandon a highly-centralized and corrupt economic system where Assad's cronies held sway. To do so, the executive led by new president Ahmed al-Sharaa has set up a committee tasked with dissecting the sprawling corporate interests of high-profile Assad-linked tycoons including Samer Foz and Mohammad Hamsho, three sources told Reuters.”
Iran
The Washington Post: Israel Likely To Strike Iran In Coming Months, Warns U.S. Intelligence
“Israel is likely to attempt a strike on Iran’s nuclear program in the coming months in a preemptive attack that would set back Tehran’s program by weeks or perhaps months but escalate tensions across the Middle East and renew the prospect of a wider regional conflagration, according to U.S. intelligence. The warnings about a potential Israeli strike are included in multiple intelligence reports spanning the end of the Biden administration and the beginning of the Trump administration, none more comprehensive than an early January report produced by the intelligence directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Defense Intelligence Agency. The report warned that Israel is likely to attempt a strike on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities in the first six months of 2025. Current and former U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence told The Washington Post that the finding derives from an analysis of Israel’s planning following its bombing of Iran in late October, which degraded its air defenses and left Tehran exposed to a follow-on assault.”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America: Suicide Bombing At Afghan Ministry Kills 1, Injures Several
“Taliban officials said Thursday a suicide bomb explosion outside a ministry building in the Afghan capital of Kabul killed at least one person and injured several others. The blast occurred when security guards at the entrance to the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing intercepted and killed a suicide bomber, an Interior Ministry spokesperson told VOA. Abdul Mateen Qani confirmed the casualties, saying a member of Taliban security was killed, and three others were wounded in the ensuing explosion. No immediate claims of responsibility were made, but suspicions fell on a regional Islamic State group affiliate, Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K.”
Pakistan
Voice Of America: US Warns Citizens Of Potential Terror Threats At Key Mosque In Pakistan's Capital
“The United States advised its citizens Wednesday to steer clear of a popular mosque in Pakistan’s capital due to potential terrorist threats. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad issued the threat alert following the emergence of a social media video earlier this week featuring a purported militant operative at the city’s Faisal Mosque, a major tourist destination. The brief video showed the individual displaying a hand-drawn pamphlet featuring the flag of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which the United Nations has listed as a global terrorist organization. The video was shared on Monday via social media affiliated with TTP.”
Associated Press: Turkey’s President Arrives In Pakistan’s Capital On A 2-Day Visit To Boost Trade, Economic Ties
“Turkey’s president, accompanied by a high-level delegation, arrived in Pakistan’s capital late Wednesday night on a two-day visit to discuss how to boost trade and economic ties between the nations, officials said. When his plane landed at an airport near Islamabad, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan was received by his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and other senior government officials. Erdogan is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Sharif, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It said the Turkish president will jointly chair “the 7th Session of the Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC)” and the sides are expected to sign a number of agreements.”
Middle East
Reuters: Israel Has US Backing To Stay In Lebanon Beyond Truce Deadline, Israeli TV Says
“Israel's public broadcaster said on Wednesday the U.S. had authorised a "long term" Israeli troop presence in southern Lebanon, after sources told Reuters Israel had sought an extension to a Feb. 18 deadline to withdraw its forces. Under a truce deal brokered by Washington in November, Israeli troops were granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon where they had waged a ground offensive against fighters from Lebanon's armed group Hezbollah since early October. Hezbollah combatants were to leave the zone and Lebanese troops were to deploy in the area within the same period.”
Associated Press: Israel Threatens ‘All Hell Will Break Loose’ On Hamas In Latest Gaza Ceasefire Crisis
“Israel’s defense minister on Wednesday vowed that “all hell will break loose” on Hamas if it fails to free hostages this weekend as planned, stepping up threats against the militant group as mediators worked to salvage their ceasefire. There were signs that the gaps could be bridged. The dispute was sparked when Hamas accused Israel of failing to meet some commitments under the truce, including the delivery of tents and other aid, and said it would delay the next hostage release on Saturday. Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi told The Associated Press there were “positive signals” the three hostages will be released as planned on Saturday but the group had not yet received a commitment from Israel that it would adhere to the deal.”
Somalia
Voice Of America: Key Islamic State Planner Killed In Airstrike, US And Somali Officials Say
“Ahmed Maeleninine, an Omani-born leader of Islamic State, was killed in U.S. airstrikes against the terror group in Somalia earlier this month, officials of the Puntland region said Wednesday. Maeleninine was the main target of the Feb. 1 airstrike against Islamic State hideouts in the semi-autonomous region of northern Somalia. In an interview with VOA Somali, the Puntland state minister for presidency, Abdifitah Mohamed Abdinur, said Somalia and its international security partners had been watching Maeleninine’s movements in the region. “He was an Omani-born man in his 40s who was wanted for international crimes and his movements and activities have been followed at least for the last two years, as he was hiding in the mountainous area of Puntland,” Abdinur said.”
United Kingdom
BBC: Man, 18, Charged With Preparing Terrorist Acts
“An 18-year-old man has been charged with preparing terrorist acts as part of an ongoing investigation by counter terrorism police. Muhammad Billal, was arrested in Nelson, Lancashire, on Tuesday, Greater Manchester Police said. He was charged with two counts of preparation to commit terrorist acts and four counts of collecting information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. Mr Billal appeared before Westminster Magistrates earlier where he was remanded into custody to appear at the same court on 19 February.”
Germany
Politico: Assaults Stoke Fear Among Migrants In Eastern German City
“Just a few hours after a Saudi man drove his car into a crowded Christmas market in this eastern German city in December, killing several and injuring hundreds more, a 13-year-old Syrian boy was in an elevator across town when an adult neighbor grabbed him by the throat. The attack happened “because of people like you,” the man allegedly told the boy, who had come to Germany as a refugee. The Magdeburg Christmas market attack helped reshape the campaign ahead of Germany’s Feb. 23 election, putting migration front and center and prompting top politicians to vow to drastically reduce the number of asylum seekers entering the country. But it has also had very real consequences for immigrants and people of color.”
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