Eye on Extremism
July 9, 2019
The
New York Times: Stressing War’s Toll, Taliban And Afghan
Representatives Agree To Peace Road Map
“Taliban and Afghan representatives, including some government
officials, agreed on Tuesday to a basic road map for negotiating the
country’s political future, a major step that could help propel peace
efforts to end the long war, now in its 18th year. In a joint
declaration after two days of unprecedented and often emotional
discussions in the Qatari capital, Doha, the two sides emphasized a
need to work for reducing “civilian casualties to zero” and assuring
women their fundamental rights in “political, social, economic,
educational, cultural affairs.” The declaration is not binding, and at
best is a starting point for when the two sides meet later for
negotiations that could lead to fixed terms. But even if the
declaration might not immediately de-escalate the violence in
Afghanistan, it does help push forward a peace process between
American diplomats and the Taliban that has been making strides in
negotiations, but which has been struggling to overcome the Taliban’s
refusal to meet with Afghan government officials.”
Stars
And Stripes: Lecturer At US-Aided Afghan University Arrested, Accused
Of Recruiting For ISIS
“A lecturer at a partially U.S.-funded university in Afghanistan’s
capital was arrested on suspicion of recruiting students to join
Islamic State, the country’s top intelligence agency said Monday.
Three of his suspected recruits, who were accused by authorities of
organizing several deadly ISIS attacks in Kabul, also were arrested,
the National Directorate of Security said in a statement. Two of the
suspected recruits were students at the university. The third was
related to one of the students. U.S. and Afghan forces have been
unable to eliminate ISIS’s local affiliate, known as Islamic
State-Khorasan Province, which first emerged in 2014 and says it
aspires to carry out attacks on U.S. soil. Known as ISIS-K, the
militant group has recruited fighters actively from among Afghan
university students, for whom obtaining visas to travel abroad is
thought to be easier.”
CBS
Dallas: Texas Man Accused Of Trying To Aid Islamic State Group Pleads
Guilty
“A Texas man who planned to travel overseas and shared information
on making bombs and using machetes has pleaded guilty to trying to
join the Islamic State group. Prosecutors say 20-year-old Kaan Sercan
Damlarkaya, who was 18 the time of his crime, pleaded guilty Monday to
attempting to provide material support to the Salafi jihadist militant
group. Damlarkaya, who is a U.S. citizen, was arrested in December
2017 following an undercover FBI investigation. He remains in custody
pending sentencing in Houston and faces up to 20 years in federal
prison. Investigators say Damlarkaya shared information on making and
using weapons with people he thought also supported IS. Authorities
found a machete near Damlarkaya’s bed.”
Reuters:
Germany Rejects Trump's Call For Ground Troops In
Syria
“Germany on Monday rejected demands by the United States to deploy
ground troops in Syria, a stance likely to anger President Donald
Trump who wants Chancellor Angela Merkel to commit to a bigger
military role in the Middle East. “When I say the government envisages
sticking to the current measures in the anti-Islamic State (military)
coalition, this includes no ground troops, as is well known,”
government spokesman Steffen Seibert told a regular news
conference.”
TRT
World: Assad Regime Bombing Campaign Fails To Dislodge Syria
Opposition Fighters
“Fighters loyal to the regime of Bashar al Assad are struggling to
make significant gains in their campaign to retake territory from
opposition forces in northern Syria. Months after the start of the
offensive in late April this year, the Assad regime has failed to
capture any major urban centres despite intense bombardment of
territory controlled by Turkish-backed FSA soldiers and other
opposition groups. Mustafa Sejari, a commander and spokesman for the
National Liberation Army, told TRT World that his forces had killed
“hundreds” of Assad loyalists. “They thought the battle for Idlib
would be like Aleppo and Ghouta and end in a matter of weeks but after
two months they’re stuck in a deadlock where their bombing is making
no gains or advances on the ground,” he said. Part of the reason why
they have not succeeded, according to Sejari, is a lack of
coordination between the aerial campaign dominated by Russia and Assad
regime militias on the ground, which are Iranian trained and
backed.”
Arab
News: Steven Anderson: Serial Abuser Of Free Speech
“Pastor Steven Anderson uses his pulpit as his hate platform and
justifies his extremist views in the name of religion. Banned from
half a dozen countries across the globe, the US-born hate preacher has
lauded the 2016 Orlando massacre, publicly prayed for the death of
former US President Barack Obama and denied the Holocaust. Such
preachers of hate justify their actions by saying they are fighting
the enemies of God, said Josh Lipowsky, a research analyst at the
Counter Extremism Project. “Calling Anderson a hate preacher is an
appropriate term as he promotes an extreme version of religion,”
Lipowsky told Arab News. “While he doesn’t specifically encourage
violence, he praises it and justifies his ideology by using his
religious beliefs to disprove others. In Anderson’s YouTube videos,
you can see a physical pulpit, but social media also allows him a
digital pulpit that allows him to reach much further.”
Syria
Asharq
Al-Awsat: International Coalition Against ISIS Recruits Fighters In
Tanf Base
“The International Coalition against ISIS has opened the doors for
fighters to join its ranks on the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian borders. This
comes as tension increases in Syria’s eastern Euphrates amid news that
coalition forces have been conducting military maneuvers at the Tanf
base, with the participation of Syrian opposition fighters. According
to opposition media sources, several types of rockets, rocket
launchers, artillery and mortars were used in the maneuvers in
preparation for possible confrontations with ISIS in the Syrian
desert. The US-led coalition's Tanf base has started receiving new
members in its ranks to train them in their camps in Jordan, the
sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. Euphrates Post website quoted sources as
saying that the anti-ISIS coalition has opened this door in an attempt
to bolster its military capabilities in the desert. The Revolutionary
Commando Army, for its part, published pictures on its official
Twitter account on Friday, showing it was conducting successful
exercises alongside coalition forces. It said no one was hurt during
the exercises that aimed at enhancing its members’ skills to defeat
ISIS and ensuring they do not return to Tanf’s borders. The Tanf base
is located in the vicinity of Tanf crossing the border with Jordan and
Iraq in the heart of al-Hammad desert southeast Homs province, about
240 km from the city of Palmyra and not far from the borders with
Jordan.”
The
Jerusalem Post: Six Victims Of Isis In 'Execution Suits' Found In
Syria Mass Grave
“A mass grave in Syria has been uncovered, and at least six bodies
in orange “execution suits” transferred for forensic analysis,
according to reports. The mass grave is one of more than a dozen that
have been found since ISIS was pushed out of Raqqa in 2017. This
grave, just south of the Euphrates river across from the city,
contains up to 800 bodies. Jenan Moussa of Al-Aan TV tweeted images of
the bodies being found and uncovered. “Search team here found bodies
of five men wearing orange ‘execution suits’ in ISIS mass grave.
Identities unknown. Team leader tells me: Might be missing
journalists, activists,” she tweeted on July 3. A sixth body clothed
in the same way was later found. Moussa wrote that all of the bodies
were dressed in the orange suits that became infamous in videos from
2014, when ISIS executed journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley
that fall. The bodies found are all men and they had handcuffs on. All
were shot in the back of the head. This precludes them being among
those who were beheaded by ISIS. Yasser al-Khamees, who leads a team
that has been uncovering the mass graves, said that this grave was
first found in June. The men “were believed to have been killed more
than two years ago,” he told a group of reporters.”
Iran
Arab
News: Pence Says US Action Has Cut Off Iran's Ability To Support
Terrorism
“The United States will not waver from its course of maximum
pressure against Iran, Vice President Mike Pence said Monday, as
tensions rise and the US-brokered nuclear deal between Tehran and
world powers appears to be unraveling with the Trump administration’s
pullout. Pence’s assertion to a pro-Israel Christian organization that
the US “will never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon” came on the
same day that Iran began enriching uranium to 4.5 percent , breaking
the limit set in the 2015 agreement sealed under President Barack
Obama. The speech, amplified in later remarks to the group by the
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John
Bolton, also comes as the other partners in the agreement must decide
how to respond to Iran’s announcement. President Donald Trump
discussed the issue by phone Monday with French President Emmanuel
Macron. Echoing comments made repeatedly by Trump, Pence said the
international accord simply delayed Iran from obtaining a nuclear
weapon by “roughly a decade” and gave away billions in economic relief
that Iran could then use to wage terrorist attacks. Since Trump
withdrew from that deal more than a year ago, his administration has
reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran and designated its
Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist group.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Iran Threatens To Extend Nuclear
Breaches
“Iran warned it will take further steps to breach the 2015 nuclear
accord in early September if it doesn’t receive long-sought relief
from U.S. economic sanctions, as it began enriching uranium above
limits set out in the deal. Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi
said on Monday that Iran is prepared to take harder and more steadfast
measures than the modest steps it has recently taken to expand its
nuclear program, setting in motion what is likely to become months of
escalating tension with Washington. President Trump said on Sunday
that Iran “better be careful,” while senior U.S. officials signaled
that Washington had every intention of continuing its
economic-pressure campaign. Iran began enriching uranium to 4.5%
following its earlier decision to breach a cap on its stockpile of
low-enriched uranium, Iranian officials told local media on Monday.
The United Nations’ atomic agency confirmed it had enriched above the
nuclear deal’s 3.67% cap. Weapons-grade uranium is 90% enriched.”
The
New York Times: The Iran Crisis: How The Nuclear Deal Started To
Unravel, And What’s Next
“The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed Monday that Iran
had resumed enriching uranium to higher levels than permitted under a
2015 accord with the United States and other world powers. The step
inches Tehran closer to having the capacity to build a nuclear bomb.
President Trump’s administration has vowed to prevent Iran from
developing such weapons. The escalating tensions have rattled the
region and the oil market, and last month brought the United States to
the brink of a military strike on Iran before a last-minute reversal
by Mr. Trump. Following is a look at how Iran and the United States
reached this point of confrontation — and what’s likely to happen
next. How did this all start? Like Mr. Trump, President Barack Obama
doubted the assertions of Iranian officials that they would never seek
a nuclear bomb. Both administrations made it a priority to stop Iran
from getting one.”
Bloomberg:
U.K. Seizure Of Tanker ‘Won’t Go Unanswered’: Iran Armed
Forces
“Iran’s military vowed to retaliate against the seizure by British
Royal Marines of an oil tanker loaded with the Islamic Republic’s
crude off the coast of Gibraltar last week. “It will be reciprocated,
at a suitable time and in a suitable place,” Mohammad Bagheri, the
chief of staff for Iran’s armed forces, was quoted as saying by the
official Islamic Republic News Agency. The warning highlights mounting
risks to shipping in a region that exports about a third of all
seaborne petroleum. BP Plc is keeping an oil carrier empty inside the
Persian Gulf, close to Saudi Arabia, rather than risk its seizure by
Iran, a person familiar with the matter said Monday. Six tankers have
been attacked since early May, with the U.S. blaming Iran for the
incidents, a charge Tehran denies. The tanker seized by Gibraltar with
the help of Royal Marines -- the Grace 1 -- was arrested on the
grounds it was taking crude to a sanctioned Syrian company, according
to the British overseas territory on Spain’s southern tip. Iran said
the tanker was in international waters, not headed to Syria, and
described the U.K.’s actions as piracy.”
Iraq
Iraqi
News: 3 Iraqis, Including Policemen, Wounded In Bomb Attack, Armed
Clashes In Diyala
“Three Iraqis, including two policemen, were wounded Sunday in a
car bomb attack and subsequent armed clashes in Diyala province, a
security source said. Speaking to the Arabic-language Alghad Press,
the source said that an explosive charge targeted a vehicle driven by
a civilian on the Jalawla-Kalar highway in northeastern Diyala,
leaving the driver wounded. “While moving the wounded civilian into
hospital, security forces came under attack by undefined gunmen,
leaving two policemen wounded,” the source said. He added that the
security situation is now under control. Violence in the country has
surged further with the emergence of Islamic State extremist militants
who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014. The
surge in violence between armed groups and government forces has
resulted in over five million internally displaced persons across Iraq
and left more than 11 million in need of humanitarian assistance,
according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs.”
Iraqi
News: Iraqi Warplanes Kill Three Islamic State Terrorists In
Nineveh
“Iraqi warplanes killed on Monday three members of the Islamic
State terrorist group during a military operation in Nineveh province,
the Security Media Cell announced. In a statement carried by the
privately-owned Algahd Press website, the Security Media Cell said
that the three IS militants were in a car when an airstrike by the
Iraqi Air Force targeted them in Nineveh province. Meanwhile, the
paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces seized a vehicle that was
used by the Islamic State militants near a valley in Nineveh, the
statement read. In al-Jazeera region, the Security Media Cell said
that its forces managed to destroy two Islamic State terrorist hotbeds
and two explosive charges. The Joint Operations Command had launched
the “Victory Will” operation on Sunday morning to pursue Islamic State
remnants, who are still at large on the country’s vast border with
Syria, mainly in Nineveh, Salahuddin and Anbar provinces. Iraq
declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in
November 2017 with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western
borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq. IS
declared a self-styled “caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring
Syria in 2014.”
The
Jerusalem Post: Iraq Launches Another Offensive Against Isis, Why? -
Analysis
“Almost two years after Iraqi forces were able to retake Mosul from
ISIS and largely defeated the organization on the ground, Iraq is
launching yet another offensive to root out ISIS remnants. The
operation is being called “Will of Victory” and was announced Sunday
by the Security Media information cell of the government. According to
Rudaw, a Kurdish media outlet, the operation is being led by different
Iraqi army units, backed by the Popular Mobilization Forces, or Hashd
al-Shaabi. The latter are a group of mostly Shi’ite militias that are
now official paramilitaries within the security forces. Sunni tribal
forces are also participating. The concept is to throw a large net
around ISIS sleeper cells in Iraq. The army and its paramilitary
supporters will try to root out ISIS remnants in a vast triangle of
open desert between Mosul city in Nineveh, Anbar province on the
border with Syria and Saladin province in central Iraq. This is an
area that has been restive since the US invasion of 2003 and where
various Sunni insurgents, jihadists and other extremist groups like
ISIS have operated.”
The
Defense Post: Iraq Launches ‘Will Of Victory’ Operation Against ISIS
Sleeper Cells Near Syrian Border
“Iraq’s military announced a new operation in an attempt to secure
the vast western desert leading to the Syrian border, amid fears
Islamic State sleeper cells were using the area to regroup. The
operation, dubbed “Will of Victory,” began early Sunday, July 7, and
would push to clear the remote territory between the provinces of
Salahaddin, Nineveh and Anbar, a statement by the military said. Iraqi
armed forces, paramilitary units of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular
Mobilization Units), tribal groups and U.S.-led Coalition warplanes
were all taking part, according to the statement. “There are pockets
of Daesh fighters in the northwestern, western, and southwestern parts
of Salahaddin province,” a media official from the province’s military
command told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS. “Daesh is still
present in these areas, and the operations will continue until they
are cleared.” Iraq formally declared victory against ISIS in late
2017, a few months after ousting the jihadist group from its seat of
power in Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province. The group lost its
last sliver of territory in Syria – Baghuz, a small desert hamlet near
the Iraqi border – in March. But ISIS sleeper cells have kept up
hit-and-run attacks in isolated parts of Iraq, targeting government
checkpoints, public infrastructure and local officials.”
Afghanistan
Voice
Of America: Afghan University Teacher, Students Among IS Operatives
Arrested In Kabul
“Afghan authorities say they have arrested four Islamic State (IS)
operatives, including a university teacher, during a counterterrorism
raid in Kabul. The arrests come amid recent reports the Middle Eastern
terrorist group has grown into a major security challenge for
U.S.-backed Afghan forces struggling to contain the Taliban
insurgency. Afghanistan's spy agency, National Directorate of Security
(NDS), while announcing the arrests, said in a statement the suspects
were involved in recruiting fighters for IS and organizing terrorist
attacks in and around the capital city. It identified one of the
detainees as a Kabul University lecturer, Mubashir Muslimyar, while
the rest as graduates of the same institution. The men are said to
have told investigators they were working closely with IS operatives
in eastern Nangarhar province and many educated young Afghans were
joining their ranks. This is not the first time that the NDS has
arrested suspected IS operatives from Kabul University. Weeks back,
another lecturer was also taken into custody on the same charges. IS
has not commented on the arrests. The Afghan branch of IS operates
under the name of Khorasan Province (ISKP). It is estimated to have
about 2,000 fighters in the country.”
Deutsche
Welle: Taliban And Afghan Government Agree To Reduce
Violence
“The Taliban on Monday agreed to reduce the number of civilian
casualties in its offensive against Afghanistan's central government,
according to a joint statement by representatives of the warring
factions. During talks in Doha, the militant group agreed to stop
attacks on “religious centers, schools, hospitals, educational
centers, bazaars, water dams and work places,” according to a
statement seen by DW. The encounter ended with a joint “appeal and
promise to reduce violence in Afghanistan,” said Markus Potzel,
Germany's Afghanistan envoy, who co-hosted the talks with Qatar. The
statement also gives assurances on “women's rights in political,
social, economic, educational and cultural affairs in the contexts of
Islamic values,” according to DW's Pashto service. Though the group
refuses to recognize Afghanistan's central government in Kabul,
calling it a “US puppet,” Taliban representatives had agreed to meet
with officials in Doha in a “personal capacity.” “The differences are
almost so narrow,” said Mutlaq al-Qahtani, Qatar's counterterrorism
special envoy. “We are quite frankly surprised how serious both sides
are,” he added, “and they are so committed to putting an end to this
conflict.”
Pakistan
Long
War Journal: New Head Of Al Qaeda Group In Kashmir Calls For
Independent Jihadist Council
“The new emir of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH), Abdul Hameed Lelhari,
has released his first audio address. In the message, titled “Solid
Structure,” he accuses the Pakistani state of trying to rein in the
jihad in Kashmir and calls for an independent shura council to decide
which operations to conduct. Lelhari (also known as Haroon Abbas)
was named the leader of AGH in early June after his predecessor, Zakir
Musa, was killed in a shootout with Indian forces. AGH is an al Qaeda
group and its messaging closely tracks Al Qaeda in the Indian
Subcontinent’s (AQIS) statements. Both AQIS and AGH have criticized
Pakistani-backed jihadist groups in Kashmir for supposedly pursuing
nationalist goals at the expense of seeking to implement sharia, or
Islamic law, throughout the region. Lelhari continues with this theme
in his first address as AGH’s emir. The audio message was released by
the group’s Al Hurr Media on July 6. Al Hurr features a photo of
Lelhari throughout much of his speech, which is spliced together with
images of Pakistani and Indian officials. AGH media supporters also
provided a rough translation of his remarks, from which the quotes
below are drawn. After Zakir Musa’s “martyrdom,” Lelhari alleges, “an
agency from Pakistan reached out to us.”
Yemen
Gulf
News: Al Houthis Maintain ‘Strong’ Links With Al Qaida,
Daesh
“Yemen’s Iran-allied Al Houthi militants maintain “strong” links
with the terrorist Al Qaida and Daesh groups, an Arab alliance
official said late Monday. “This relation has been there since Al
Houthis’ coup against legitimacy,” spokesman for the alliance Colonel
Turki Al Maliki said in Riyadh, according to the official Saudi news
agency SPA. In late 2014, Al Houthis unseated Yemen’s internationally
recognised government and overran parts of the country, including the
capital Sana’a, triggering a devastating conflict in the impoverished
country. Last month, the alliance captured the Daesh emir in Yemen,
Abu Osama Al Muhajer, and other members of the terrorist group that
has claimed several attacks in the country in recent years. “The
coalition troops continue to eliminate Daesh and other terrorist
organization whoever they are,” Al Turki said at a press conference.
He accused Iran-supported Al Houthis of violating the international
law by targeting civilians and civil facilities in Saudi Arabia and
inside Yemen with explosive drones. “The Iranian weapons and support
to the terrorist Al Houthi militia threaten regional and international
security,” Al Turki said. In 2015, an Arab alliance led by Saudi
Arabia and the UAE, intervened in Yemen in response to a request from
the Hadi government after Al Houthis advanced on the southern city of
Adan, the country’s provisional capital.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Leader Of ISIS Affiliate In Yemen Fought For Group In
Syria
“The Saudi-led Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen
revealed on Monday that the leader of the ISIS affiliate in Yemen had
previously fought in the terrorist group’s ranks in Syria. Coalition
spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki added that the ISIS “emir”, who was
captured by Saudi Special Forces last month, hailed from Yemen and
operated under several aliases, such as Abu Osama Al-Muhajir, Abu
Musab, Abu Suleiman al-Adeni and Nashwan al-Adeni. He was tasked with
leading the extremist group’s affiliate in Yemen, Maliki told a press
briefing in Riyadh. He was born in 1988 and did not complete his
mechanical engineering degree. His terrorist track record dates back
to 2010 when he became a leading member of al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula. He left the organization in 2015 and joined ISIS where he
joined the group in fighting in Syria. In 2017 he was appointed as the
leader of the ISIS “emirate” in Yemen. Soon after, the United States
imposed sanctions against him. The Arab coalition had previously
stated that the practices of the Iran-backed Houthi militias have
encouraged terrorist activity in Yemen. Terrorist affairs researcher
Hammoud al-Ziyadi explained that one of ISIS’ primary goals was to
establish “states” beyond its then strongholds in Syria and Iraq.”
Reuters:
Yemen's Houthis Say They Attacked Saudi Airport, Power
Station
“Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Monday that it
carried out drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport and Tihama
power station, the group’s Al-Masirah TV reported. There was no Saudi
confirmation of the attacks.”
Qatar
Fox
News: Jim Hanson: President Trump, Don’t Let Qatar Buy Its Way Out Of
The Problems It Is Causing
“President Trump will be meeting with the Emir of Qatar at the
White House on Tuesday, July 9. The U.S. relationship with Qatar has
been strained by their continued support for terrorism and ties with
the mullahs of Iran. There is also still the ongoing blockade and
diplomatic conflict between Qatar and the other Gulf states. Qatari
involvement with Turkey has been problematic as well. The Emir is
likely bringing promises of significant investments in the U.S. but we
cannot let them simply buy their way out of the problems they are
causing. President Trump wants to see an end to the Gulf states
disagreement and also move Qatar further away from Iran. There is a
possibility those two things can work together, but that requires
actual changes and substantive actions from the Qataris.”
Nigeria
News
24: 13 Nigeria Civilians Killed In Air Raid Targeting Jihadists -
Sources
“At least 13 civilians were killed in an air raid as the military
repulsed a jihadist assault in northeast Borno state, residents and a
security source said on Sunday. Multiple inhabitants of Gajiganna
village, 50km from state capital Maiduguri, told AFP a military jet on
Tuesday targeted jihadists from the Islamic State West Africa Province
(ISWAP) after they attacked a nearby military base. The Nigerian air
force, however, said it had no reports of civilian casualties. Fleeing
residents were caught up in the bombing, residents said on condition
of anonymity over fears for their personal safety. Videographic
presenting the Boko Haram islamist insurgents in northern Nigeria.
Thirty people were killed late Sunday in a triple suicide bombing in
northeast Nigeria, emergency services reported, in an attack bearing
the hallmarks of the Boko Har... “We lost 13 people in the bombardment
as many people tried to escape the fighting between the insurgents and
troops,” a resident said. “Many people were injured in the attack,” he
said. The military jet was deployed around 19:30 (18:30 GMT) to
support troops in the base who were trying to fight off the militants,
residents said. “Many residents were too scared to remain in their
homes and ran out to escape from the village as the fighting raged
between the troops and the insurgents,” a second resident said.”
All
Africa: Nigeria: Boko Haram Commanders Arrested In
Hotels
“Nigerian police have arrested three suspected Boko Haram
commanders at some hotels north of the country. The suspects were
arrested in the city of Kano while they were allegedly regrouping in
an attempt to travel to the northeastern state of Borno to perpetrate
attacks. Ahmad Iliyasu, the regional police commissioner, said the
trio was among more than 80 culprits recently arrested in connection
with violent crimes afflicting the West African country. They have
been arrested during the so-called Operation Puff Adder. Suspects were
nabbed for other crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, vehicle
theft and banditry. An assortment of weapons, illegal drugs,
electronic equipment and vehicles were confiscated. Iliyasu said the
suspects would soon be arraigned in court. “The operation of
Puff-Adder will be sustained throughout the state until all
criminal-minded persons repent or leave the area,” he said. Nigeria,
Africa's most populous country of more than 190 million people is
experiencing a surge in violent crime. Some 134 000 people have this
year been forced from their homes across the states of Borno, Adamawa
and Yobe because of the conflict perpetrated by the Boko Haram.”
Somalia
Xinhuanet.Com:
Three Killed As Somali Police Foil Attack In
Mogadishu
“At least three people including a police man were killed and five
others injured after a vehicle loaded with explosives went off at a
security checkpoint in Mogadishu on Monday. A security officer who
confirmed the incident said the two al-Shabab militants and the
policeman were killed during confrontation when a vehicle borne
improvised explosive device attempted to forcibly pass through a
security checkpoint but was thwarted. "The vehicle loaded with
explosives exploded after security officers manning the checkpoint
intercepted it in an area close to Erdogan hospital in Hodan
district," said a police officer who declined to be named. The officer
said the suicide bomber blew him up after being prevented to pass
through the checkpoint, damaging some of the nearby buildings. The
Somali National Army backed by African Union Mission in Somalia drove
al-Shabab out of Mogadishu, but the group is still capable of
conducting attacks, targeting government installations, hotels,
restaurants and public places.”
Africa
Voice
Of America: Al-Shabab Kills 18 In Surge Of
Executions
“Somali militant group al-Shabab has executed 18 people since
Wednesday, an unprecedented rate of executions for the group, which is
under pressure from U.S. airstrikes. Militants put to death four
people in the southern town of Jamame on Sunday, immediately after the
judge in an al-Shabab court declared them guilty. Firing squads shot
and killed two men accused of being Somali government soldiers and a
woman accused of being a spy for Kenya. The militants identified the
woman as 20-year-old Iqra Abdi Aden. Afterward, an 18-year-old man,
Nur Bakar Jirow, was publicly stoned to death for allegedly raping a
16-year-old girl. The man argued the sex was consensual, but the
judge said he deserved the death penalty because he was married at the
time. On Saturday, al-Shabab firing squads killed three men accused of
being Somali government soldiers in the town of Kurtunwarey in the
Lower Shabelle region. In Buale town of the neighboring Middle Jubba
region, the militants executed a man accused of practicing sorcery. On
July 3 and 4, al-Shabab shot and killed 10 men in two separate
executions in Hagar and Salagle towns in southern Somalia. The group
accused the men of spying for the Somali government, Kenya and the
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.”
United Kingdom
The
Telegraph: Alleged Terrrorist Launched Attack On Parliament After
Sending Cryptic Email To Jeremy Corbyn, Court
Hears
“An alleged terrorist launched an attack outside Parliament after
sending a cryptic complaint to Jeremy Corbyn via email, a court has
heard. Salih Khater, 30, is on trial accused of driving at
pedestrians, cyclists and police officers outside the Palace of
Westminster in a bid “to cause maximum death and injury”. Jurors were
shown CCTV his Ford Fiesta allegedly swerving towards members of the
public and narrowly missing two officers before hitting a security
barrier on August 14 last year. Prosecutor Alison Morgan QC told the
Old Bailey that “miraculously and contrary to his intentions”, no-one
was killed by his deliberate efforts. However, despite carrying out
what she described as a “premeditated and deliberate attack” in
Parliament Square, Khater’s alleged motive was said to be unclear.
The Sudanese refugee, who arrived in Britain in 2010 and was granted
leave to remain, had shown some signs of “paranoia” in the months
before the attack, the court heard. He failed an accountancy course
at the University of Coventry and was struggling to find work as a
security guard when he sent a strange email to the office of the
Labour leader last May, jurors were told. It said: “Dear leader,
recently I have been subject to many event, which made really confused
and very worried about who to talk to.”
France
Newsweek:
Isis Terrorist Involved In Paris Attacks That Killed Over 130 Awarded
Compensation
“The man thought to be the sole survivor of the group that carried
out the Paris terror attacks was awarded 500 euros ($560) in
compensation because the level of surveillance he was under in jail
was deemed illegal, it has been reported. Belgian-born Salah Abdeslam,
29, had links to Isis which claimed responsibility for the
co-ordinated attacks that killed 130 people and left around 360 people
injured in the French capital. The attackers' targets included the
Bataclan theater during a rock concert and the exterior of the Stade
de France sports arena on November 13, 2015. After one of the biggest
manhunts in European history, Abdeslam was convicted of providing
logistical assistance to the group involved in the attacks which led
to a three-month state of emergency. Convicted in April 2018, he was
sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges linked to a police shootout
while he was being apprehended. He has been in the Fleury-Mérogis
prison since April 2016 where he faced 24-hour CCTV surveillance,
following an order by the then French justice minister Jean-Jaques
Urvois. However in March 2017, judges deemed that level of
surveillance to be illegal and he was awarded the compensation,
according to a new book titled The Journal of Frank Berton, about
Abdeslam's lawyer, written by the L'Obs journalist Elsa
Vigouroux.”
PRI:
France Combats Extremism With Secularism — And A
Hotline
“When the first shots rang out at the Bataclan concert hall in
Paris, France, Aurélia Gilbert knew exactly what they were. ”I know
some others said that it sounded like firecrackers. For me,
immediately, I thought that something terrible happened — like shots
fired,” said Gilbert, 46. In November 2015, heavily armed
gunmen stormed the Bataclan during a live concert and killed 90
people. The gunmen were part of coordinated attacks throughout Paris
that took the lives of 130 people and injured 494 others. ISIS later
claimed responsibility for the attacks. Although Europe has not seen
such a large-scale attack since then, terrorist attacks have persisted
in the region, and the problem is especially troubling in France. For
the last few years, French authorities have decided to double down on
deradicalization efforts with strict assimilation methods, a
watchlist, and a “terrorism hotline” to report suspicious behavior.
Of the 511 people arrested in the European Union for religiously
inspired or jihadist terrorism in 2018, 273 were in France, according
to Europol, the EU agency responsible for law enforcement
cooperation. In January 2015, an attack on the satirical newspaper
Charlie Hebdo left 12 people dead and 11 others injured.”
Europe
Reuters:
Alleged Islamic State Fighter On Trial In Netherlands For War
Crimes
“A Dutch-born alleged Islamic State militant went on trial in the
Netherlands on Monday for war crimes committed in Iraq and Syria,
after posing with a crucified body and sharing images of dead victims
online. It is the first trial in the Netherlands dealing with war
crimes committed by an alleged Islamic State militant. There is no
international tribunal to prosecute the widespread atrocities
committed during Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011, but several
European countries have put citizens who joined militant groups in the
Middle East on trial. According to the European police agency Europol,
some 5,000 Europeans went to fight in Syria and Iraq, of whom some
1,500 have returned. Roughly 300 Dutch men and women joined the war in
Iraq and Syria, prosecutors said. Oussama Achraf Akhlafa, 24, is
charged with joining IS militants in Mosul in Iraq, and Raqqa in
Syria, between 2014 and 2016. He is being tried under so-called
universal jurisdiction, which enables war crimes to be prosecuted
regardless of where they were committed. Akhlafa is charged with
violating the personal dignity of war victims, which is protected
under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, as well as membership of a
terrorist organization. Prosecutors demanded a prison sentence of
seven years, eight months.”
South Korea
The
South China Morning Post: South Korean Man Investigated Over Bid To
Join ISIS, Theft Of Detonating Devices
“A 23-year-old South Korean man is under investigation for
allegedly seeking to join the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group and
stealing detonating devices for explosives while he was serving in the
military, a defence ministry spokesman said Tuesday. If convicted, he
would become the first South Korean to be punished under the country’s
anti-terrorist law that went into effect in 2016, the Yonhap news
agency said. “He has been under investigation by civilian prosecution
authorities,” the spokesman told the South China Morning
Post, adding that the suspect had completed his obligatory
military service and was discharged from the army last week. All able
bodied men in South Korea are required to serve about two years in the
military. The man – identified only by his surname, Park – allegedly
stole the detonating devices in 2017 when he was training as an army
explosive specialist, Yonhap said. Investigators seized his mobile
phone, on which the suspect had reportedly downloaded an an app used
by ISIS and video clips on making home-made ammunition. They also
confiscated a wide-bladed knife at his home that bore a resemblance to
those used by ISIS recruits. Bottom of FormPark allegedly propagated
ISIS terrorist activities by collecting videos and materials of the
group’s acts and uploading them on the internet from 2016 until
recently.”
Southeast Asia
The
New York Times: ‘Our Duty To Fight’: The Rise Of Militant
Buddhism
“The Buddhist abbot was sitting cross-legged in his monastery,
fulminating against the evils of Islam, when the petrol bomb exploded
within earshot. But the abbot, the Venerable Ambalangoda Sumedhananda
Thero, barely registered the blast. Waving away the mosquitoes
swarming the night air in the southern Sri Lankan town of Gintota, he
continued his tirade: Muslims were violent, he said, Muslims were
rapacious. “The aim of Muslims is to take over all our land and
everything we value,” he said. “Think of what used to be Buddhist
lands: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Indonesia. They have all been
destroyed by Islam.” Minutes later, a monastic aide rushed in and
confirmed that someone had thrown a Molotov cocktail at a nearby
mosque. The abbot flicked his fingers in the air and shrugged. His
responsibility was to his flock, the Buddhist majority of Sri Lanka.
Muslims, who make up less than 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s population,
were not his concern. Incited by a politically powerful network of
charismatic monks like Sumedhananda Thero, Buddhists have entered the
era of militant tribalism, casting themselves as spiritual warriors
who must defend their faith against an outside force.”
Technology
The
Verge: The Ugly Side Of Facebook’s Pivot To Privacy Is Starting To
Show
“It’s been four months now since Facebook announced its intention
to invest more heavily in private groups and messaging, and recently
that effort has gotten a major marketing push. Walk through the
Montgomery BART station in San Francisco and you’ll see ads for
Facebook Groups plastering every wall, each emblazoned with the
anodyne slogan “more together.” In years past, such a launch might
have been greeted with a collective shrug from the press. (The launch
of Facebook Live in 2016 also involved a takeover of Montgomery
Station, and passed with little fanfare — at least until a rash of
violent live streams drew their attention.) But the increased focus on
groups this year has come with energetic scrutiny from journalists — a
sign of how even seemingly mundane Facebook launches now meet with
deep skepticism around the world.”
|
