Eye on Extremism
August 29, 2019
The
New York Times: Syrian Army Presses On In Idlib Province As Death Toll
Rises
“Syrian government forces pressed ahead with their military
offensive in Idlib, seizing a cluster of villages on the southeastern
edges of the province on Thursday as the overall civilian death toll
from the campaign rose further. The government-controlled Syrian
Central Military Media said troops captured three small villages in
the area, as they continued their assault with the next target
appearing to be the rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan, which lies
near the Damascus-Aleppo highway. Last week, the troops captured the
town of Khan Sheikhoun, which also sits on the highway. Idlib is the
Syrian opposition's final stronghold in the country, and President
Bashar Assad's forces, backed by Russia, are determined to recapture
it. For now, their main aim is to reopen the M5 highway and they have
been pounding towns and villages that lie near that route. Opening the
highway would cut the trip between the country's two largest cities by
two hours.”
Fox
News: Maryland Man Accused Of Plotting ISIS-Inspired Terror Attack
Near DC Is Indicted
“A Maryland man accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired terror attack
at a tourist site near Washington, D.C., was indicted Wednesday on
a terrorism-related charge, the Justice Department announced. Rondell
Henry, 28, of Germantown was indicted on federal charges
of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State
and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, the DOJ said. Henry
moved to the U.S. from Trinidad and Tobago 11 years ago and is a
naturalized citizen. He is accused of stealing a U-Haul van in
Alexandria, Va., and driving it to Maryland, where he intended to
use it as a weapon at the National Harbor complex on the Potomac
River, according to previously filed court documents. Prince George’s
County Police reviewed surveillance footage and found the stolen van
on March 27. Henry was arrested the next day after police say he tried
to jump a security fence. He has remained detained pending a trial.
Henry originally considered a March 27 attack at Dulles International
Airport in Virginia, but he was unable bypass security there, so he
drove to National Harbor instead, prosecutors said.”
The
New York Times: The Israel-Iran Shadow War Escalates And Breaks Into
The Open
“Israel has carried out a series of attacks across the Middle East
in recent weeks to prevent Iran from equipping its Arab allies with
precision-guided missiles, drones and other sophisticated weapons that
could challenge Israel’s defenses. The attacks represent a new
escalation in the shadow war between Iran and Israel, which has broken
into the open and threatens to set off a wider confrontation. In one
18-hour period over the weekend, an Israeli airstrike killed two
Iranian-trained militants in Syria, a drone set off a blast near a
Hezbollah office in Beirut’s southern suburbs and an airstrike in
Qaim, Iraq, killed a commander of an Iran-backed Iraqi militia.Israel
accuses Iran of trying to establish an overland arms-supply line
through Iraq and northern Syria toLebanon. The attacks, only one of
which Israel has publicly acknowledged, were aimed at stopping Iran
and signaling to its proxies that Israel will not tolerate a fleet of
smart missiles on its borders, officials and analysts said. “Iran is
building something here in the region,” said Sima Shine, a former head
of research for Israeli intelligence, now a scholar at the Institute
for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. “What’s changed is that the
process reached a level in which Israel has to act differently.”
Fox
News: UN Peacekeeping Patrol Filmed Coming Under Attack By Hezbollah
In Lebanon
“The United Nations Security Council is expected to renew the
yearly mandate of its UNIFIL, its peacekeeping force in Lebanon, this
week. But exclusive video obtained by Fox News shows a peacekeeping
patrol under attack by the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hezbollah.
An intelligence source confirmed to Fox News the Iranian proxy force
was behind the attack. While the U.N. described the attack in a
report, the video and the ensuing chaos following the ambush show how
dangerous Hezbollah has made the situation for UNIFIL, or the United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. The video shows groups of men block
off the convoy with their cars. Once blocked off several men set upon
the vehicles, trying to break in through the windows with hammers and
stones. At one stage, gasoline is poured over the second U.N. armored
vehicle and then lit on fire. As it burns one peacekeeper leaves the
vehicle while being accosted by the men. Another peacekeeper comes
running out from behind the lead armored vehicle with his gun drawn,
only to retreat. Another peacekeeper leaves the APV, surrendering his
weapon to the terrorists. Men carrying automatic weapons can be seen
during the melee. “This is clearly a Hezbollah-coordinated
operation,” said Tony Badran, a research fellow at the Foundation for
the Defense of Democracies.”
Reuters:
More Than 50 Abducted In Attack On Northwest Nigerian Village:
Residents
“More than 50 people, including pregnant women and children, were
abducted in a raid on a village in northwest Nigeria, seven residents
told Reuters on Wednesday. The attack on Wurma village in Katsina,
northwest Nigeria, began around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday night. Police
pegged the number of those abducted at 15, but multiple residents told
Reuters that many more were taken. Alhaji Musa, whose two daughters
were among those taken, said more than 100 bandits were “shooting from
all angles.” “They operated for about three hours with nobody to
challenge them,” he said. Seven residents, and one man who was
abducted but released by the attackers, said at least 53 people were
taken, including pregnant women, babies and children. Some residents
had already received ransom requests from the abductors, the sources
said. The attackers also took sheep, goats and food, they added. In a
statement, Katsina police said 15 women were abducted, but that 10 of
them were freed unharmed following a gun battle with police. “Search
parties have been dispatched into the surrounding bushes with a view
to rescue the others,” the police said. Instability has roiled
northwest Nigeria, including Katsina, the home state of President
Muhammadu Buhari, all year.”
The
Washington Post: U.S. Military Carried Out Secret Cyberstrike On Iran
To Prevent It From Interfering With Shipping
“American military cyber forces in June knocked out a crucial
database used by Iran’s elite paramilitary force to target oil tankers
and shipping traffic in the Persian Gulf hours after that force shot
down a U.S. surveillance drone, according to U.S. officials. The
retaliatory strike by U.S. Cyber Command against the system used by
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was approved by President Trump,
who that same day called off a military airstrike against Iran because
killing Iranians would not be “proportionate to shooting down an
unmanned drone.” U.S. Cyber Command did not address questions on the
secret operation. “As a matter of policy and for operational security,
we do not discuss cyberspace operations, intelligence, or planning,”
Elissa Smith, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in a statement.”
United States
The
Detroit News: Michigan State Students Charged With False Terror
Threat
“Two Michigan State University students were charged Tuesday with
making a false threat against the president of the university, records
show. Students Jennifer Spicer, 20, and Rami Souguir, 18, were
arraigned in 54B District Court on charges of making a false report or
threat of terrorism and using a computer to commit a crime. Both of
their bonds were set at $10,000. The pair are accused of making an
online threat against MSU President Samuel Stanley, who took office
this month. Spicer, from Louisiana, and Souguir, of Ann Arbor, are
freshman computer science majors, university and police records show.
MSU Police Capt. Doug Monette said the department was notified Monday
morning that threats had been made. “Our officers investigated the
incident and on Aug. 27, the two were arrested,” he said Wednesday.
“Both were arraigned yesterday on charges of making false terrorism
threats.”Monette declined to comment further about the charges, saying
the department's investigation is ongoing. “Our investigation is still
ongoing and we feel, at this time, the campus is safe,” he said.
Following their release Tuesday from the Ingham County Jail, District
Court Judge Andrea Larkin ordered the students to not have any contact
with each other, Stanley or his family.”
The
Star Tribune: Attacks By US Extremists Lead To Push For Anti-Terror
Laws
“A white man opens fire at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, targeting
Mexicans and killing 22 people. Another man kills 11 Jewish
worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. The two mass shootings and a
presidential tweet put a spotlight on the idea of “domestic
terrorism,” adding momentum to a debate about whether such attacks
should be classified and tried in the same way as crimes against
America by foreign extremist groups and their supporters. A Republican
senator and a Democrat in the House of Representatives are drafting
bills to do that while some Republicans call for a left-wing group to
be designated a terrorist organization. “Domestic terrorism is in our
backyard and we need to call it and treat it under the law the same as
other forms of terrorism,” said U.S. Sen. Martha McSally, an Arizona
Republican who intends to introduce legislation when Congress returns
in September. McSally's proposal would allow federal law enforcement
to charge suspects with acts of domestic terror and add punishments
for those crimes, including the death penalty. Rep. Adam Schiff, a
California Democrat, introduced legislation on Aug. 16 that he says is
a “very high priority.”
Missoulian:
Pro-ISIS Man Pleads Guilty To Lying About Seeking Out
Terrorists
“The 21-year-old New York man arrested in Bozeman this year after
an FBI investigation pleaded guilty on Wednesday to lying to agents
about seeking out the terrorist organization ISIS. Fabjan
Alameti pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements to law
enforcement regarding terrorism, a charge that carries a maximum
eight-year term in federal prison. Alameti appeared at the Russell
Smith Federal Courthouse in Missoula on Wednesday with his federal
public defender, John Rhodes. Assistant U.S. District Attorney Jeff
Starnes told U.S. Magistrate Kathleen DeSoto during the hearing that
federal authorities came across Alameti during a terrorist
investigation in 2018, interviewing Alameti at his Bronx, New York,
home. An undercover FBI agent subsequently maintained contact with
Alameti across a pro-ISIS Facebook group, tracking him as he relocated
to Bozeman in March. Alameti was an Albanian national who obtained
citizenship in the U.S., Starnes said, and had planned to use his
Albanian passport to relocate to Syria and fight the U.S. with ISIS.
His internet searches included how to make bombs, and what kinds of
blast radii certain devices would create, Starnes said. His targets
included gay clubs, federal buildings and a U.S. Army recruiting
center.”
VICE:
Army Reservist Tied To Neo-Nazi Terror Cell Is
Missing
“A recently relieved of duty Winnipeg army reservist linked to the
neo-Nazi terror cell The Base has been missing since Friday. According
to Manitoba RCMP, a missing person report was filed for Patrik Mathews
on Monday. In a statement they provided to VICE, Manitoba RCMP said
that the 26-year-old “was last seen by family members in Beausejour on
the evening of August 24, 2019.” “Efforts to contact and locate him by
family and police have been unsuccessful since the report was
received,” reads the release. Mathews was exposed as a member of the
Base through a series of explosive stories in the Winnipeg Free
Press in which reporter Ryan Thorpe gained access to the group. The
Base is an international neo-Nazi organization that focuses on setting
up cells worldwide. A VICE investigation into the group's inner
workings last year showed the group was organized, venerated mass
murderers, and actively anticipated using real-world violence. ”The
Base is particularly dangerous because of [its] focus on developing
and sharing skills useful for terrorism and guerilla warfare, such as
ambushes, weapons training, and making explosives,” Joshua
Fisher-Birch said in a previous VICE story about The Base. “This is a
radical group that not only wants violence but is preparing for
it.”
Fox
News: Ignore ISIS At Your Peril, America – Terrorists Say ‘I’ll Be
Back’
“This is a warning to the civilized world: Don’t forget about the
supporters of Usama bin Laden and the ISIS caliphate. They have not
forgotten about you. Washington today is largely focused on “great
power” competition. What’s next in the trade war with China or the tug
of war with Russia? What’s up with North Korea’s missiles and the
ayatollah in Iran? Of course, these struggles do matter. And America
must stay on top of what these mighty but misguided nations are up to.
But that doesn’t mean that we, our friends and our allies can afford
to lower our guard against the terrorists lurking in the shadowlands
who still seek to establish an Islamist dictatorship over a third of
the Earth. These terrorists have more than amply demonstrated their
willingness to advance their cause, no matter how many innocents they
may slaughter or sacrileges they may commit along the way. Sure, there
is no doubt that ISIS has taken a beating. Losing half of its
self-proclaimed caliphate was deeply humiliating. Meanwhile, the U.S.
and its allies continue to hunt down Al Qaeda’s leadership and
operatives. Yet even a scattered and humbled enemy is still an
enemy.”
Syria
Reuters:
Air Strikes Hit Rebel-Held Northwest Syria, Nine
Killed
“Jets believed to be Syrian or Russian on Wednesday struck a main
rebel-held city in northwest Syria, killing at least nine civilians,
in stepped up strikes on the last rebel bastion in that part of the
country, residents and rescuers said. The air strikes hit Maarat
al-Numan, from which tens of thousands of people have fled in the last
two weeks fearing an imminent assault by advancing Russian-backed
Syrian troops. Residents said heavy air strikes hit other villages
and towns in Idlib province. One hit a market in the city of Saraqeb,
causing injuries and extensive damage to a main residential area.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, backed by Russian air
power, have been waging an offensive in the Idlib region, the last
remaining rebel-held territory in Syria’s war. Much of the region is
controlled by jihadists linked to the former Nusra Front, which was
linked to al Qaeda. Russian and Turkish forces in northern Syria -
allies of opposing sides in the civil war but partners in a ceasefire
agreement - have been brought closer than ever to direct contact on
the ground as the Syrian government presses ahead with its months-long
campaign.”
VOA:
UN: Northwest Syria Hostilities Escalate, With Barrel
Bombs
“The U.N. is calling on Syria's warring parties to ensure the
safety of civilians as clashes, shelling and airstrikes escalate in
Idlib, western Aleppo and northern Hama, including the use of barrel
bombs. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that "satellite
imagery shows entire towns and villages have been razed to the ground,
while dozens of communities have been emptied." On Monday, he said 15
civilians, including women and children, were reportedly killed in
airstrikes on seven communities in Idlib province. Dujarric said
three-quarters of the 3 million people being impacted by the violence
are women and children. Since the start of hostilities at the end of
April, over 550 civilians have been killed and over 400,000 people
have been displaced from northern Hama and southern Idlib, he
said.”
The
National: US Warns Of Sanctions Against Foreign Businesses Tied To
Syrian Regime
“The US repeated calls on Wednesday for sanctions against foreign
companies that have ties to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime.
Syria has suffered immense damage and physical destruction after
nearly eight years of civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of
people. “We reiterate our warning that anyone doing business with
[the] Assad regime or its associates is exposing themselves to the
possibility of US sanctions,” the US Embassy in Syria said on Twitter.
The warning comes as Damascus held the 61st round of its International
Trade Fair, which was suspended after the war started in 2011, but
resumed in 2017. The fair aims to encourage foreign investment to
assist in the reconstruction of the war-torn country. About 500
companies are expected to take part, Syrian state news agency, Sana,
reported.”
Iran
The
New York Times: Iran: Lifting US Sanctions Will Help Salvage Nuclear
Deal
“Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran's supreme
leader will not meet President Donald Trump unless Washington halts
its "economic terrorism" that has hurt ordinary Iranians. Zarif said
the removal of U.S. sanctions — which he described as a form of
extortion, arm twisting and intimidation — could also help salvage the
2015 Iranian nuclear deal, which the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from
last year. He said Tehran has the right to reduce its compliance under
the nuclear pact after the U.S. left, but it can return to full
implementation if the U.S. fulfils its commitment and returns to the
table. "We are prepared to leave (the pact) because we have nothing to
lose," he told a forum in Kuala Lumpur. But Tehran also believes that
the only way to avoid a "nuclear holocaust" is to destroy all nuclear
weapons, he said.”
Iraq
Al
Monitor: Will Iran-Backed Factions Attack US Troops In
Iraq?
“Following a series of airstrikes that Israel is suspected of
conducting against Iran-backed groups of the Popular Mobilization
Units (PMU), calls for US troops to be attacked in revenge for the
attacks is on the rise in Iraq. Ayatollah Sayed Kazem al-Haeri, who is
an Iran-based Shiite cleric close to Iran-backed PMU factions, issued
a fatwa Aug. 23 calling upon the PMU and all other Iraqi armed forces
to fight US troops and exile them from the country. “I declare from
the position of religious responsibility that the presence of any US
military force in Iraq is forbidden [haram] under any title: military
training, advice or the rationale of fighting terrorism,” Haeri said
in his fatwa. Although the United States denied any involvement in the
strikes against the PMU and said it is cooperating with Iraqi
authorities in the investigation of the attacks, the pro-Iranian
militias accuse the United States of being behind the assaults.”
Financial
Times: Iraq’s Farmers Struggle Despite Bumper Harvest
“Jamal Mukhlif Naif and his family were harvesting a bumper crop on
a May night in northern Iraq, their best in years. But the celebratory
mood was shattered when gunfire erupted around them. Isis fighters
stormed Mr Naif’s harvesting party, killing five people. The youngest
was 18 years old. The jihadis set fire to the field and machinery,
then gloated about the attack online, posting pictures and videos. “It
was an excellent harvest,” said Mr Naif. “But we lost all our product
for the year . . . [and] I’m very scared to go back to my land.” This
winter’s rains brought severe flooding but also relief to Iraq’s
fertile soil after a period of drought. But even absent the acute
challenges posed by climate change, the windfall harvest could not
paper over the structural problems that plague Iraq’s agricultural
sector, the country’s second largest after oil and the biggest
provider of rural employment, according to the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO).”
Reuters:
Baghdad's Crackdown On Iran-Allied Militias Faces
Resistance
“At checkpoints leading into the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the
flags of Brigade 30, a paramilitary force, still fly nearly two months
after the Baghdad government ordered all militias to leave. Prime
Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s decree gave Iran-backed paramilitary
groups, which have wielded increasing power in Iraq, a month to fully
integrate with the armed forces, leave checkpoints and sever ties with
political groups. Brigade 30’s refusal to abandon its positions on the
eastern edge of Mosul — instead it cut off roads and whipped up angry
protests — underlines Baghdad’s struggle to assert its authority and
raises the risk of further instability in a region marked by
U.S.-Iranian rivalry. Washington warned this year it would take action
against Iran-backed militias if Baghdad failed to control them, and
imposed sanctions on groups and their leaders, including Brigade 30’s
Commander Waad Qaddo. It blamed paramilitaries for attacks on bases
hosting U.S. forces in May.”
Afghanistan
The
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Defense Chief Calls Discussing Withdrawal
From Afghanistan ‘Premature’
“The top-ranking U.S. military officer said it was premature to
discuss a possible withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, in
his first public comments about the ongoing peace talks to end the
country’s nearly 18-year-long war. “I don’t think about it as we’re
going to withdraw, I think about, we are going to initiate interact
and dialogue, ideally leading to peace and stability for the Afghan
people,” Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re going to ensure that our
counterterrorism objectives are addressed,” he continued, in response
to a question whether the U.S. planned to leave Afghanistan without
counterterrorism forces on the ground. “And so I think it’s premature.
I’m not using the ‘withdraw’ word right now.” At their first joint
press briefing, Gen. Dunford and Defense Secretary Mark Esper also
stressed that the U.S.-backed Afghan government would be included in
any prospective deal. U.S. and Taliban leaders have been meeting in
Doha, without representatives of the Kabul government, to negotiate an
end to the conflict. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
said the negotiators aimed to forge a peace deal by Sept. 1 that could
end the conflict, but talks in Qatar show no signs of meeting that
deadline.”
The
Washington Post: We Can’t Outsource Our Security To Anyone —
Especially The Taliban
“President Trump’s desire to end the war in Afghanistan is
understandable. After 18 years of war, the current path is not
sustainable. Nevertheless, we may be in such a rush to remove our
forces that we find ourselves on the cusp of a strategic blunder. Any
deal that calls for withdrawing our forces completely from Afghanistan
is a bad deal for the United States. We must be clear: The United
States should never outsource its national security to anyone,
especially the Taliban. That is a possible outcome, however, as the
United States and the Taliban continue talks in Doha, Qatar. We cannot
rely on the Taliban for security; we have lost too many soldiers at
Taliban hands for that. The Afghan war must end on our terms, not the
Taliban’s. The United States entered Afghanistan in 2001 for one
reason: to run al-Qaeda out of its haven and ensure that it was never
able to attack America again. We achieved that objective in 2002 and
have sustained it since with the United States, NATO and other partner
nations. U.S. force levels have ebbed and flowed since 2002, but we
now have less than 15 percent of the forces we had at our peak in
2011. The tasks that used to be solely the responsibility of U.S. and
NATO and partner forces are now in the hands of the Afghan National
Defense and Security Forces.”
The
Washington Times: The Taliban's
Dilemma
“Afghanistan has a foreign military presence that represents an
existential threat to the Taliban — an organization that purports to
guard the country against all foreign influence. That threat is not
the American-led NATO coalition. The Islamic State (ISIS) is a
transnational organization with the objective of
making Afghanistan one more province (their word is emirate) in a
worldwide caliphate. That imperial vision has the same plan to
subordinate Afghanistan to its imperial aspirations as did Alexander,
Genghis Khan, the British Empire and the old Soviet Union. That part
of the Taliban which is currently negotiating with the United States
for an eventual U.S.-NATO withdrawal fails to officially recognize
that the real foreign force that is threatening to take over the
country remains virtually ignored in the talks. That elephant in the
room should become a key part of any final agreement.
The Taliban leadership isn’t stupid, but it is badly mistaken if it
thinks that — absent U.S.-NATO presence — it will be free to march
into Kabul as it did in 1996. ISIS aside, the political landscape has
undergone a tectonic shift. The Kabul government may suffer from
corruption and rampant inefficiency, but it represents the majority of
Afghans who, though they may consider themselves to be good Muslims,
see a secularized form of governance as the way of the future.”
Xinhua:
23 Militants Including 3 IS Fighters Give Up Fighting In E.
Afghanistan
“A total of 23 anti-government militants including three armed
insurgents affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group and 20 Taliban
have given up fighting and handed over their weapons to police in
Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, a statement of provincial
administration said here on Thursday. According to the statement,
three IS insurgents surrendered to local authorizes and handed in
their weapons to police on Wednesday. Similarly, 20 militants loyal to
the Taliban outfit have given up fighting and joined the
government-backed peace process in Nangarhar's provincial capital
Jalalabad on the same day Wednesday, the statement added. According to
the statement, the former militants were involved in anti-government
activities in Khogiani, Chaparhar, Shinwar and Momandara districts
over the past couple of years and their decision to give up fighting
would pave the way for stabilizing peace and security there in the
area. Neither IS nor Taliban outfit has made comments on the report
yet. However, the militants' surrender to security forces is taking
place amid hectic peace talks between the U.S. delegation and the
Taliban representatives in Qatar capital Doha.”
The
New York Times: Afghan Forces Still Unable To Counter Violence Alone,
Joint Chiefs Chairman Says
“Afghanistan’s security forces are not yet able to deal with
violence in the country on their own, the top American military
officer said Wednesday, laying bare one of the biggest challenges
facing administration officials as they try to hammer out a peace
agreement with the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of
American troops. During a rare news conference at the Pentagon, Gen.
Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said
he was not ready to use terms like “withdrawal” when discussing the
American troop presence in Afghanistan at this point in the peace
negotiations. “Right now, it’s our judgment that the Afghans need
support to deal with the level of violence today,” General Dunford
said. “If an agreement happens, that could change.”
Yemen
Reuters:
Yemen's Houthis Attack Saudi Arabia's Abha Airport:
Spokesman
“Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport
with a cruise missile on Wednesday, the group’s military spokesman
said in a tweet. Spokesman Yahya Saria said the missile targeted plane
hangars and led to air traffic being halted at the airport. The
Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthis in Yemen said a “hostile
projectile” fired by the Iran-aligned group landed in Abha airport
late Wednesday but caused no injuries, Saudi state news agency quoted
the coalition military spokesman as saying early on Thursday.”
Lebanon
Reuters:
Hezbollah Says Will Hit Back At Israel As Lebanon Fires At Israeli
Drones
“Hezbollah said it would respond with a “surprise” strike against
Israel after drones crashed in Lebanon at the weekend but it also said
a new full-out war between the longtime adversaries remains unlikely.
Adding to the growing tension between Israel and Iran-backed groups in
Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, the Lebanese army on Wednesday opened fire at
two Israeli drones breaching Lebanese airspace near the Israeli
border. Israel said the drones were unharmed. The rare incident took
place after President Michel Aoun said on Monday that Lebanon had a
right to defend itself after two drones the Lebanese army said were
Israeli crashed on Sunday in the Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs
of Beirut. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the two drones
that crashed. One of them exploded, causing some damage to Hezbollah’s
media center in the district, but nobody was hurt.”
Middle East
Al
Jazeera: Gaza In State Of Alert After Blasts Kill 3 Hamas
Policemen
“The Gaza Strip is in a “state of alert” after explosions killed
three policemen in the Palestinian enclave in apparent suicide
attacks. The police officers died in “two explosions targeting police
checkpoints” late on Tuesday, the interior ministry in the
Hamas-controlled coastal territory said in a statement. Such attacks
on Hamas, which has the most powerful armed apparatus in the enclave,
are rare. An interior ministry spokesman, Eyad al-Bozom, said security
forces were making progress in their pursuit of those behind the
explosions, but he did not disclose further details. “The sinful hands
that carried out this crime will not escape punishment,” said
al-Bozom. The first blast destroyed a motorcycle as it passed a police
checkpoint, witnesses said. Two police officers were killed and a
third Palestinian was wounded. It was not immediately clear if the
riders were among the casualties. The second explosion, less than an
hour later, killed one officer and wounded several people at a police
checkpoint elsewhere in the city, the interior ministry said. Hamas
chief Ismail Haniya said Gaza can “absorb” such incidents. “We are
certain, things will be controlled and all sides involved in these
bombings will be held accountable,” he said in a statement.”
Arab
News: Bahrain Sentences 9 To Prison For Terrorist
Activities
“Nine people were sentenced to prison on Wednesday in Bahrain for
terror related activities. Attorney General Ahmed Al-Hammadi, chief
prosecutor for terrorist crimes, said that “the Fourth Grand Criminal
Court sentenced them for receiving, transferring and handing over
funds allocated for supporting and financing terrorist groups,
carrying out terrorist activities and promoting criminal acts.” The
first was sentenced to six years in prison and a BD 100,000 fine.
Three others received a one-year sentence and fined BD 2,000. Four
were sentenced to two years, while the ninth received three months.
The first defendant recruited the others and tasked them with managing
social media accounts, publish terrorist related material, acts of
sabotage and assaults on the Kingdom’s security forces. They were also
assigned to transfer money to different locations and some of them
were housed together. They were “communicating with other terrorist
groups outside of Bahrain and received assignments in order to create
chaos in the country for terrorist purposes,” Al-Hammadi said. Four of
the accused confessed to the crimes.”
Libya
Military
Times: Libya’s Civil War Could Provide ‘Oxygen’ To Terrorist
Offshoots, Says US Africa Command
“U.S. Africa Command is concerned that Libya’s eight-year civil war
could bolster terrorist groups harbored in the country and foster a
breeding ground for violent extremist organizations. Preventing that
chaos is a key issue for AFRICOM Commander Gen. Stephen Townsend, who
traveled to Tunis, Tunisia with U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard
Norland to meet with Libya’s prime minister, Fayez al Sarraj, on Aug.
26. There, the leaders discussed threats from existing violent
extremist organizations in Libya, along with the need for a solution
to end the civil war. “Close cooperation is important to address the
[violent extremist organizations] threat,” Townsend said in a media
release. In 2018 alone, the Islamic State’s Libya faction claimed it
was behind more than a dozen attacks targeting the Libyan government
and oil infrastructure, according to AFRICOM. The conflict that has
plagued Libya for the past eight years could add fuel to the flame,
AFRICOM claims. Marine efforts to push out ISIS fighters from Sirte
was described as “one of the largest counter terrorism campaigns to be
conducted from amphibious shipping.”
Nigeria
The
Punch Nigeria: We’ll Force Boko Haram To Surrender –
Military
“The acting General Officer Commanding, 7 Division of the Nigerian
Army, Brig Gen Abdul Khalifa, has said the military will soon force
Boko Haram fighters to surrender. He said the Super Camps strategy
introduced by the military would ensure that the North-East was free
of Boko Haram. He spoke on Wednesday in Maiduguri while on an
operational tour of army units within his division. Khalifa said their
strategy was for soldiers to be able to carry out patrols, raids and
ambushes. The army chief said, “We have discovered that Boko Haram
elements have some kind of mobility because we are in defence. We are
trying to see how this strategy can change, that is why we have this
new concept. Although a lot has been achieved, we still have some
remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists around. Our ultimate aim is to
force Boko Haram to surrender. We should be able to strangulate them.
We should be able to take the fight to them.” In a related
development, Yobe State Governor Mai-Mala Buni has started the
construction of Buni-Yadi township road. Buni-Yadi, at the peak of the
Boko Haram crisis, was one of the few local government areas captured
in Yobe State. The governor said on Wednesday the road project was a
fulfilment of one of the promises that he made during the
electioneering.”
Somalia
Xinhuanet:
Somali Forces Arrest Al-Shabab Leader Behind Blasts In
Mogadishu
“The Somali security agency said Wednesday they are interrogating a
senior al-Shabab leader behind recent attack that led to the death of
former official of a regional administration in Mogadishu. Somali
National Security and Intelligence Agency (NISA) said the suspect
whose identity was not disclosed staged an attack on Sunday in
Mogadishu that claimed the life of Mohamed Amin Sheikh Elmi, a former
secretary at Banadir administration. NISA said the suspect was
arrested at his house in Mogadishu during a security operation that
also saw the officers seize phones, batteries and other bomb making
materials. Elmi succumbed to injuries he sustained following an
explosion that targeted his vehicle on Sunday in the restive city. The
al-Qaida allied group which has been fighting for the overthrow of the
Western-backed government claimed responsibility for the Sunday's
blast.”
Germany
The
Jerusalem Post: German Hezbollah Mosque Declares It Is Proud Of
Terrorism And Pro-Khamenei
“The Hezbollah mosque in the German city of Münster posted a
shocking video in December, 2018 on its Facebook page, announcing it
was proud of terrorism and its allegiance to the Islamic Republic of
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Washington-based organization,
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), first revealed the
video and wrote on its website “Poem Recited in a Münster, Germany
Shiite Mosque: We Have Pledged Allegiance to Khamenei; We Are Accused
of Terrorism and Are Proud of It .” According to a MEMRI transcription
of the video from the Imam Mahdi Zentrum Shiite mosque in Münster, in
the German state North Rhine-Westphalia, a man recited a poem with the
lyrics, “We have pledged our allegiance to the Jurisprudent Ruler
[Khamenei]. We are soldiers willing to sacrifice our lives for
Nasrallah [‘Victory of Allah’]. We belong to the party of Ruhollah
[Khomeini]. We have been accused of being terrorists – we are proud of
terrorism. ”Listen all nations! Listen, oh Wahhabis! The roaring Arab
wave will never retreat. The convoys will not wait long with their
march. We will not come to you in small numbers. We will come to you
from all over.”
Southeast Asia
The
New York Times: New Zealand Vowed To Listen To Muslims After
Christchurch. It’s Failing, They Say
“Ten days after a gunman killed dozens of people at two
Christchurch mosques, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern promised answers.
Her government, she said, would commission an investigation to delve
into the concern haunting every New Zealander, but especially the
country’s Muslims: Could the terrorist attack have been prevented? The
inquiry, she said, would make a priority of consulting with the Muslim
community, a group long overlooked and now desperate for assurances
about their safety. But halfway through what is expected to be an
eight-month investigation, members of a panel of influential Muslims
appointed to advise the inquiry say they have been sidelined by the
officials conducting it.”
Technology
The
Wall Street Journal: National Security Concerns Threaten Undersea Data
Link Backed By Google, Facebook
“U.S. officials are seeking to block an undersea cable backed by
Google, Facebook Inc. and a Chinese partner, in a national security
review that could rewrite the rules of internet connectivity between
the U.S. and China, according to people involved in the discussions.
The Justice Department, which leads a multiagency panel that reviews
telecommunications matters, has signaled staunch opposition to the
project because of concerns over its Chinese investor, Beijing-based
Dr. Peng Telecom & Media Group Co., and the direct link to Hong
Kong the cable would provide, the people said. Ships have already
draped most of the 8,000-mile Pacific Light Cable Network across the
seafloor between the Chinese territory and Los Angeles, promising
faster connections for its investors on both sides of the Pacific. The
work so far has been conducted under a temporary permit expiring in
September. But people familiar with the review say it is in danger of
failing to win the necessary license to conduct business because of
the objections coming from the panel, known as Team Telecom.”
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