Washington has identified a critical financial facilitator for Daesh based in
Turkey in a move to unsettle the remaining global financial networks of

 

 


<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Eye on Extremism


July 31, 2020

 

Arab News: US Reveals Key Daesh Money Provider Based In Turkey
<[link removed]>

 

“Washington has identified a critical financial facilitator for Daesh based in
Turkey in a move to unsettle the remaining global financial networks of the
terrorist group. In a statement on Tuesday, the US Department of the Treasury’s
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said that the Daesh facilitator, Adnan
Muhammad Amin Al-Rawi, had materially assisted, sponsored or provided
financial, material or technological support for — or goods or services to or
in support of — Daesh. “This action coincides with the 13th meeting of the
Counter Daesh Finance Group (CIFG), which includes over 60 countries and
international organizations, and plays a fundamental role in coordinating
efforts to deny Daesh access to the international financial system and
eliminate its sources of revenue,” the statement read. The Treasury requires
that all property and interests in property of relevant individuals that are in
the US or in the possession or control of US persons must be blocked and
reported to the OFAC. In the meantime, any foreign financial institution that
deliberately conducts or facilitates any substantial transaction on behalf of
individuals and entities designated by OFAC is likely to be subject to US
sanctions.”

 

Syria

 

Associated Press: Report: Car Bomb In North Syria Kills, Wounds Several People
<[link removed]>

 

“A car bomb exploded at checkpoint manned by Turkey-backed Syrian opposition
fighters on Thursday in northeastern Syria, killing and wounding several
people, Turkish state media and an opposition war monitoring group reported.
According to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, the bombing in the village of Tal Halaf
killed five people and wounded 12. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights, which tracks the civil war in Syria through a network of
activists on the ground, said six people were killed and 15 were wounded in the
blast. It said the casualties included Turkey-backed Syrian opposition
fighters. Different casualty figures are common in the immediate aftermath of
such attacks. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but Turkey has
blamed such deadly explosions in the area in recent months on Kurdish fighters
linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long
insurgency inside Turkey. Ankara views Syrian Kurdish fighters associated with
PKK — and the group itself as terrorists — even though the same fighters had
partnered with the U.S. in the war against the Islamic State group. After a
series of military incursions, Turkey now controls most of Syria’s territory
that borders its southern frontier.”

 

Iraq

 

Associated Press: Iraq: Since October, 560 Protesters, Police Died In Rallies
<[link removed]>

 

“Iraq’s government said Thursday that since last October when anti-government
protests erupted in the country, a total of 560 protesters and members of the
security forces have been killed in the violence. The figure was reported by
Hisham Daoud, an advisor to Iraq’s prime minister, at a press conference in
Baghdad. He said a fact-finding committee would investigate the killings
further. Also Thursday, Interior Minister Othman al-Ghanimi announced the
result of an investigation into the deaths of two protesters at the hands of
Iraqi security forces on Sunday. He said that based on eye-witnesses and
forensic reports, the protesters — who were taking part in a rally against
government's electricity cuts amid Iraq's scorching summer heat — were killed
by pellet guns fired by three policemen. The policemen were arrested. Mass
anti-government protests erupted last October in Baghdad and Iraq’s south. Tens
of thousands of Iraqi youth took to the streets to decry rampant corruption,
poor services and unemployment. Hundreds died as security forces used live
ammunition and tear gas to disperse crowds. The protests dwindled following
restrictive measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.”

 

Turkey

 

Yeni Safak: Turkey Arrests Nine Suspected Daesh Terrorists
<[link removed]>

 

“At least nine suspected Daesh terrorists were arrested in simultaneous
operations in southeastern Turkey on Thursday. In a statement, the Diyarbakir
Governorship said the suspects were planning to carry out an attack during the
Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. It said police raided various locations to
apprehend the suspects and also seized a large number of documents, digital
material, a shotgun, and ammunition. In 2013, Turkey was among the first
countries to list Daesh as a terrorist group. The country has since been
targeted by the group numerous times, with at least 10 suicide attacks, seven
bombings, and four armed attacks claiming at least 300 lives and injuring
hundreds more. In response, Turkey has launched military and police operations
at home and abroad to prevent further terror attacks.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Reuters: Bombing Kills 18 In Afghanistan On Eve Of Eid Ceasefire
<[link removed]>

 

“At least 18 people, including Afghan security forces personnel, were killed
in a suspected car-bombing in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, hours before a
three-day ceasefire was to begin in the country for the Muslim festival of Eid
al-Adha, officials said. The ceasefire, announced by the Taliban, comes at a
time violence has risen across the war-torn country as U.S.-brokered peace
talks between the militant group and an Afghan government-mandated committee
await the completion of a prisoner exchange between the two sides. The Taliban
denied responsibility for the bombing in a statement from spokesman Zabihullah
Mujahid. The explosion targeted Afghan security forces in Pul-e-Alan, the
capital of the eastern province of Logar and civilian casualties are also
feared, according to Shahpoor Ahmadzai, the spokesman for the provincial
police. He added it was unclear whether it was a car or suicide bombing, but
that security forces had gathered for duty in the city to prepare for security
measures for Eid al-Fitr, which will be celebrated in Afghanistan on Friday.
The head of the province’s council, Hasib Stanekkzai, told Reuters it was a
car-bombing and put the toll at 18 dead and 22 injured.”

 

Voice Of America: Report: Taliban Slowly Pushing Afghan Government To The Brink

<[link removed]>

 

“U.S. and coalition defense officials fear the Taliban are successfully
ratcheting up attacks against the Afghan government, hoping to push it past its
breaking point, while often keeping allied forces at bay. The officials, who
spoke with the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
(SIGAR), warn that despite the February agreement between the Taliban and the
United States, violence directed at Afghan government forces “stayed well above
historic norms” from April through the end of June. The only respite for Afghan
forces during that time came during the three-day Eid holiday cease-fire in
late May, the officials said, demonstrating “the Taliban’s ability to exert
command and control of their fighters.” A separate U.S. Defense Department
assessment provided to SIGAR for its quarterly report, released Thursday, was
equally blunt. “The Taliban is calibrating its use of violence to harass and
undermine the [Afghan defense and security forces] and [the Afghan government],
but remain at a level it perceives is within the bounds of the agreement,
probably to encourage a U.S. troop withdrawal and set favorable conditions for
a post-withdrawal Afghanistan,” it said.”

 

Lebanon

 

Haaretz: Hezbollah Failed To Attack Israel, But Made One Significant
Achievement
<[link removed]>

 

“Kamal Mohsen Jawad, the Lebanese fighter whose death in a Damascus bombing
raid sparked the current tension on Israel’s northern border, was not exactly a
rising star in the Hezbollah firmament. Jawad, who hailed from the South
Lebanon village of Itit, had served in the Shi’ite organization in the past.
But a few years ago he was loaned to the relief bureau, a subunit of the
Lebanon Corps in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The two Lebanese who were
killed a year ago in an Israeli attack in Syria – which triggered tension
between the sides last August – had followed a similar track. All in all,
Hezbollah apparently does not loan its outstanding people to the Iranians, but
rather those it can get along without. But in their death they are reclaimed by
the organization, and the secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, heaps the
appropriate honors on them. Jawad was originally given a specific assignment in
the Revolutionary Guards, having to do with regularizing arms smuggling from
Iran to Lebanon via Syria. When that proved difficult for him, he was
reassigned. Which, it would seem, is how he found himself, in the early hours
of July 21, at a site that was bombed at Damascus’ international airport.”

 

Middle East

 

The National: Al Qaeda Gaining Strength As Terror Fight Focuses On ISIS
<[link removed]>

 

“Tackling extremist online terrorist messages must remain a priority for
security services as ISIS continues to pose a threat, according to an EU crime
report. The EU Internet Referral Unit (IRU) report for 2019 said that Al Qaeda
had gained followers because counter-terrorism efforts were focused on ISIS.
“Propaganda disseminated online by both ISIS and Al Qaeda – although less
readily accessible thanks to disruptive action carried out jointly by EU member
states and the EU IRU – continues to inspire and incite lone attacks by
individuals who have no physical connections to either group,” the report said.
“Combating the terrorist groups’ media reach, limiting their ability to carry
out attacks, and attributing online terrorist offences through heightened
international co-operation should therefore remain a priority.” The report,
which was published by the European crime agency Europol, said ISIS launched a
media campaign and sent 15 videos from June to September last year. They showed
fighters renewing their allegiance to former leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. A
second media campaign was co-ordinated in the aftermath of the declaration of
Amir Mohammed Al Mawla as the group's new leader and included endorsements from
ISIS provinces.”

 

Africa

 

The New York Times: The Dictator Who Waged War On Darfur Is Gone, But The
Killing Goes On
<[link removed]>

 

“On camels, horses and motorbikes, dozens of Arab militiamen stormed into the
remote village in Darfur, in western Sudan, firing wildly, witnesses said.
Houses were pillaged, animals stolen and water tanks smashed. Villagers ran for
their lives. United Nations peacekeepers scrambled to the scene but said they
found the road blocked by obstacles placed in their way, and continued on foot.
When they arrived after two and a half hours, it was too late. At least nine
people lay dead, including a 15-year-old boy, and another 20 were seriously
wounded, according to the United Nations. The attack in Fata Bornu, a remote
hamlet of 4,000 people, echoes the grimmest days of the Darfur conflict in the
2000s. But it happened just this month — over a year since euphoric protests
toppled Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the detested dictator whose alleged atrocities
in Darfur earned him an indictment on genocide charges in an international
court. Now Mr. al-Bashir languishes in jail and Sudan is run by a joint
civilian-military government that has promised to usher in a new era of
democracy, and finally — after 17 years of suffering — bring peace to Darfur.”

 

Voice Of America: 9 Civilians Die In Two Attacks In Northern Mozambique
<[link removed]>

 

“At least nine civilians were killed in new attacks carried out by Islamist
insurgents in the restive province of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique,
local sources said. The attacks on the districts of Mocimboa da Praia and
Macomia of Cabo Delgado on Wednesday forced the local population to flee their
homes, seeking safety in nearby woods, residents told VOA. A group of armed men
“hooded with Islamic handkerchiefs” invaded the village of Tandacua in Macomia,
searching for food, according to a local resident. The insurgents “arrived
around 6 in the evening [local time], so many residents fled the village,” the
resident, who declined to give his name, told VOA. “When we returned the next
day, we found eight dead people who were beheaded,” the resident said, adding
that “the security situation is getting more complicated.” On Tuesday, Islamist
militants entered the district of Mocimboa da Praia, killing one civilian at a
flour mill before seizing food and livestock. The insurgents “entered Mocimboa
da Praia twice this week,” said Zunaid, a Mocimboa da Praia resident who gave
only his first name. “After they killed a man on Tuesday and left, they went in
again [on Wednesday] to steal more food,” he told VOA.”

 

Agence France-Presse: Pompeo Says Ending Sudan Terror Listing A 'Good Thing'
<[link removed]>

 

“US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday he wants to delist Sudan as a
state sponsor of terrorism, seeing a historic opportunity in its civilian
transition. Pompeo has repeatedly indicated that the State Department hopes to
remove the designation, which severely impedes investment to Sudan, but
disputes have arisen on a compensation package over the 1998 bombings of two US
embassies. Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that legislation
on a settlement should come before Congress “in the very, very near term.” “I
think lifting the state sponsor of terrorism designation there if we can...
take care of the victims of those tragedies would be a good thing for American
foreign policy,” Pompeo said. Pompeo said that the fall of longtime dictator
Omar al-Bashir following mass protests and the nearly year-old government of a
civilian prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, marked “an opportunity that doesn't
come along often.” “There's a chance not only for a democracy to begin to be
built out, but perhaps regional opportunities that could flow from that as
well,” he said. Bashir had welcomed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and Sudan
was accused of aiding jihadists who blew up the embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania, killing 224 people and injuring around 5,000 others.”

 

United Kingdom

 

The Telegraph: Pompeo Says Expects 'Good Outcome Within Weeks' In Isil Beatles
Case
<[link removed]>

 

“Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, has said he is hopeful of a “good
outcome” in the coming weeks in the case of Islamic State suspects The Beatles,
raising the prospect the US could be preparing to extradite the pair for
trial...”

 

The Independent: Terror Offender Loses Court Battle Against Law Stopping
Automatic Release From Prison
<[link removed]>

 

“A convicted terror offender has lost a legal battle against a new law that
stopped him being automatically released from prison halfway through his
sentence. Lawyers representing Isis supporter Mohammed Zahir Khan argued that
the change, which caused his release to be delayed from March to November at
the earliest, violated his human rights. But two High Court judges rejected
their arguments on Thursday and threw out Khan’s application for judicial
review. In a written judgment, Lord Justice Fulford and Justice Garnham said it
was “logical and rational” for the government to change early release
arrangements for terror offenders after the attacks in Streatham and London
Bridge. “The risk such offenders posed reflected not only the likelihood of
further offending of a similar nature, but also the potentially serious
consequences of the risk eventuating,” they added. “In those circumstances, in
our judgment, keeping terrorist prisoners in custody for a longer proportion of
their sentence, and requiring Parole Board approval before early release, was
an entirely legitimate response.” Hugh Southey QC, representing Khan,
previously told the court that new provisions breached the European Convention
on Human Rights (ECHR).”

 

Germany

 

Daily Sabah: German Elite Commando Forces Dismantled Due To Right-Wing
Extremism Concerns
<[link removed]>

 

“A company belonging to the German army's elite Special Commando Forces (KSK)
has been dismantled following allegations of right-wing extremism, a Defence
Ministry spokesperson told dpa Thursday. The second company of the Bundeswehr's
KSK was dismantled following an appeal at the KSK barracks located in Calw in
Baden-Wuerttemberg, with some soldiers transferred to other KSK companies, the
spokesperson said. Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had announced
the step four weeks earlier as part of wider measures to halt right-wing
extremism within the KSK forces, which are trained for special operations, such
as freeing hostages, after several incidents had caused a scandal. Out of the
four KSK companies, the second had come under fire for organizing a party in
April 2017 during which soldiers threw around a pig's heads while listening to
extreme-right rock music and making the Hitler salute, which is banned in
Germany. In May 2020, police found explosives and ammunition stashed on the
property of a soldier of the second company.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Associated Press: 12 Dead As Philippine Troops Battle Militants In South
<[link removed]>

 

“Philippine troops clashed with Muslim guerrillas allied with the Islamic
State group in the country’s south, leaving two soldiers and about 10 militants
dead, military officials said Thursday. An army infantry force raided a remote
camp belonging to the Dawlah Islamiyah on Wednesday near Datu Salibo town in
Maguindanao province, sparking an exchange of fire. Gunmen in nearby areas
reinforced the militants under army fire in the marshland, prolonging the
battle and preventing government forces from capturing more members of the
militant group led by rebel commander Hassan Indal, regional army spokesman Lt.
Col. Dingdong Atilano said. Two soldiers were killed and 13 others were
slightly wounded in the clash, which left at least 10 militants dead, Atilano
said, citing reports from troops and villagers. Most of the militants broke off
many years ago from the largest Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front. The rebel front’s leaders are now helping oversee a new
Muslim autonomous region after signing a peace deal with the government in
2014.”

 

Al Jazeera: Bangladesh Arrests 3 In Police Station Blast, Denies ISIL Link
<[link removed]>

 

“Authorities in Bangladesh say they have arrested three suspects in the
bombing of a police station in the capital, Dhaka. Five people, including four
police officers, were wounded when the bomb, which was hidden inside a device
that looked like a weighing machine, went off inside the Pallabi police station
on Wednesday morning. ISIL (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the blast in a
statement the same day, but police on Thursday denied the claim, saying the
alleged attackers were motivated by criminal intent. Dhaka Metropolitan Police
Additional Commissioner Krishna Pada Roy said the three men were arrested on
Wednesday. Police also found two loaded firearms and another suspicious-looking
device, he added. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner for
Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime Saiful Islam denied any links between
ISIL and the blast. “ISIL made this kind of false claim in the past, too. This
is also part of that process,” he said. “As per the information available so
far, criminal intentions were behind the blast and we're investigating the
incident.” On July 1, 2016, five attackers took hostages and opened fire in a
Dhaka cafe, killing more than 20 people, mostly foreigners.”

 

Technology

 

The Sacramento Bee: Amazon Still Selling Merchandise For Far-Right Groups With
‘A Track Record Of Violence’
<[link removed]>

 

“At Black Lives Matter protests around the country, heavily armed groups of
counter-protesters have shown up wearing military fatigues, Hawaiian-print
shirts, and tactical vests decorated with patches that represent far-right
extremist groups. Some of them may have purchased their gear from Amazon. The
world’s largest online retailer continues to sell merchandise affiliated with
the so-called Boogaloos, Three Percenters, and Oath Keepers even after removing
items that represented hate symbols following an investigation by the BBC.
After the investigation, Amazon removed merchandise that included a burning
rainbow flag and a flag with the white supremacist version of the Celtic Cross,
the BBC reported on Saturday. Amazon also removed much of the Boogaloo
merchandise. But a “Thin Boog Line” patch was still available on the website on
Thursday, along with a Boogaloo trucker hat. The BBC’s investigation did not
include products that advertised the Three Percenters and the Oath Keepers, two
of the three core components of the anti-government militia movement, according
to the Southern Poverty Law Center.”



Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>