The Trump administration is preparing to impose anticorruption sanctions
against prominent Lebanese politicians and businessmen in an effort to weaken

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


August 13, 2020

 

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Prepares Sanctions Against Hezbollah’s Allies In
Lebanon
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“The Trump administration is preparing to impose anticorruption sanctions
against prominent Lebanese politicians and businessmen in an effort to weaken
Hezbollah’s influence in the aftermath of last week’s explosion in Beirut’s
port, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with the plans. The
blast, which killed at least 160 people and injured thousands more, has
accelerated efforts in Washington to blacklist Lebanese leaders aligned with
Hezbollah, the country’s dominant political and military force, according to
these people. U.S. officials see an opportunity to drive a wedge between
Hezbollah and its allies as part of a broader effort to contain the Shiite
force backed by Tehran. Hezbollah has been part of Lebanese coalition
governments for more than a decade and is the region’s most potent threat to
Israel, which has bombed the group’s forces in Syria and Lebanon to prevent it
from amassing advanced missiles. President Trump has used sanctions as a
central tool in his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. Now some in his
administration want to see the White House turn the screws in Lebanon. “I don’t
see how you can react to this kind of event with anything other than ‘maximum
pressure,’” said one U.S. official.”

 

Fox News: As The US Moves Out Of Afghanistan, Iran Cements Ties With The
Taliban And Officials
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“As a Shiite-majority nation, Iran has long been at odds with the Afghan
Taliban, comprised almost entirely of devout adherers of Sunni Islam. Iran is
said to have initially supported the U.S. mission to overthrow the Taliban
government following the September 11, 2001, attacks. But as the U.S. and
subsequent NATO footprint spread throughout Afghanistan in the years that
followed, Iran reconstituted its Taliban relations – smuggling weaponry and
allowing commanders to fund its insurgency through Iranian
institutions...“Ghaani has a history of ties in Afghanistan dating back to the
1980s when he helped arm and support Shiite communities there on behalf of
Iran," said Josh Lipowsky, senior research analyst at the Counter Extremism
Project (C.E.P.). "Ghaani's influence has continued, as evidenced by a
secretive 2018 meeting he had with the governor of Afghanistan's Bamiyan
Province. Ghaani allegedly introduced himself at the time as Iran's deputy
ambassador to Afghanistan." In late January this year, U.S. Marine General
Frank McKenzie also warned of an increasing trend of Iranian interference on
behalf of the Taliban in Afghanistan. "For years, Iran has sought to increase
its influence with the Taliban in order to weaken the United States globally,"
Lipowsky asserted. "While the Taliban are not ideologically aligned with Iran
and not as loyal as Hezbollah or the Iraqi militias, they will owe Iran for its
support."

 

The Jerusalem Post: Lithuania Recognizes Hezbollah As A Terrorist Organization
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“The Lithuanian government announced on Thursday the recognition of Hezbollah
as a terrorist organization. “Having taken into consideration the information
acquired by our institutions and partners, we may conclude that ‘Hezbollah’
uses terrorist means that pose a threat to the security of a significant number
of countries, including Lithuania. We stand together with the United States of
America, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, as well as other countries that
had reached the same conclusion,” said Lithuanias's Foreign Minister Mr. Linas
Linkevičius in a statement. “We appreciate the successful cooperation between
the Lithuanian and Israeli national security agencies. We are thankful to these
institutions for their significant work in helping ensure the safety of our
citizens,” he continued. “It is important to note that we support peaceful
people of Lebanon and their wish for their country to implement necessary
reforms. Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi spoke a few moments later with his
Lithuanian counterpart, congratulating him on the Lithuanian government's
decision. "Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that has controlled terror in
large parts of Lebanon and turned them into Iranian-protected areas while
taking Lebanese citizens, its economy and its political system hostage," said
Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.”

 

United States

 

The Post Millennial: Jordan Banned The Muslim Brotherhood—The US Should Follow
Suit
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“According to the Counter Extremism Project (CEP): “A 2015 U.K. government
investigation concluded that the Brotherhood has 'promoted a radical,
transformative politics, at odds with a millennium of Islamic jurisprudence and
statecraft....' In line with the British assessment, and despite the
Brotherhood's official commitment to non-violence, CEP has documented
ideological and operational links between the Brotherhood's ideology and
violent terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.” Examining the teachings,
charters, ideology, and ambitions of the Muslim Brotherhood will leave you with
a conclusion that their entire belief system and agenda is a combination of
those of al-Qaida and ISIS. In 1997, the U.S. State Department added Hamas to
its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim
Brotherhood, established as its “Palestinian wing.” Violent jihad has always
been on the Muslim Brotherhood's agenda, as a method of displaying strength
“Jihad is an obligation from Allah on every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor
evaded,” al-Banna wrote.”

 

WTOP News: The Hunt: Homegrown Extremists In The US Connected To Europe
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“Domestic terrorism is on the rise in the U.S. On this week’s edition of “The
Hunt” with WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green, Dr. Hans
Jakob-Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project, said
connections to Europe are fueling that rise.”

 

Syria

 

The Washington Times: 'We're Going To Have Huge Problems': U.S. General Warns
Of Long-Term ISIS Resurgence
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“In July, the group carried out at least 23 attacks in Syria alone, according
to data compiled by the Counter Extremism Project. Those attacks were aimed
mostly at forces loyal to Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, who for years has waged
a simultaneous war against ISIS and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a key
American ally in battling the terrorist group. Perhaps more alarming are recent
attacks perpetrated more than 2,000 miles away in Afghanistan by the group’s
affiliate there, ISIS-Khorasan, or ISIS-K. This month, ISIS-K mounted a major
assault on a prison in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, in an
attempt to free hundreds of militant fighters held there. At least 29 people
were killed as Afghan security forces exchanged gunfire with the ISIS-K
fighters for hours. Hundreds of prisoners escaped during the assault, though
Afghan government officials say the vast majority were rounded up and returned
to the prison. While ISIS and the Taliban have traditionally have been rivals,
Afghan government officials have argued that they are pursuing a marriage of
convenience.”

 

Iraq

 

Reuters: Turkey Says Operations Against Kurdish Militants In Iraq To Continue,
Urges Baghdad To Cooperate
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“Turkey will continue its cross-border operations against Kurdish militants in
northern Iraq if Baghdad continues to overlook the militants’ presence in the
region, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, urging Iraqi authorities to
cooperate with Ankara. Turkey has regularly attacked Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK)militants, both in its mainly Kurdish southeast and in northern Iraq,
where the group is based. In June, Ankara launched a new ground offensive,
dubbed Operation Claw Tiger, that saw Turkish troops advance deeper into Iraq.
On Tuesday, a Turkish air strike in northern Iraq killed two members of Iraq’s
border guard and their driver, Iraq’s military said, calling the attack a
“flagrant aggression”. Iraq’s foreign ministry then said Baghdad cancelled a
visit by Turkey’s defence minister to the country, and summoned the Turkish
ambassador to inform him of “Iraq’s confirmed rejection of his country’s
attacks and violations”. In a statement early on Thursday, Turkey’s foreign
ministry said PKK presence also threatened Iraq and that it was Baghdad’s
responsibility to take measures against the militants, but that Ankara will
defend its borders if the PKK’s presence is allowed. “Our country is ready to
cooperate with Iraq on this issue.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Time: Prisoners For Peace: Trump Administration Mulls Releasing Taliban Drug
Kingpin In Push For Afghan Peace Talks
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“In 2005, Taliban financier and Afghan drug lord Haji Bashir Noorzai flew from
Dubai to New York City to strike a deal with American officials seeking peace
with the Taliban. Or so he thought. It was a trap. DEA officials met him, and
arrested him for his global heroin trafficking operations that had been funding
the Taliban’s war machine for years. He was tried in the Southern District of
New York and sentenced to life in U.S. federal prison. That was then. Now, the
Trump Administration is considering letting Noorzai out. Trying to make good on
its Feb. 29 peace deal with the Taliban, the Administration is entertaining the
militant group’s request to release Noorzai — and every last Taliban detainee
in Guantanamo Bay — in order to get the former rulers of Afghanistan to sit
down with the country’s current ruling elite for talks. When the Taliban’s
co-founder Mullah Akhund Baradar asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for the
prisoners’ release at the end of July, U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Amb. Zalmay
Khalilzad quietly recommended setting Noorzai free, a senior administration
official and a senior western official say, though it would mean putting one of
the world’s top drug kingpins back on the street.”

 

Stars And Stripes: Taliban Unlikely To Support Keeping US Counterterrorism In
Afghanistan, Analysts Say
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“Taliban negotiators are likely to oppose any proposal for the U.S. to
establish a lasting counterterrorism presence in Afghanistan during upcoming
peace talks with the government in Kabul, analysts said. While President Donald
Trump has often called for a troop withdrawal, he also said the U.S. is “going
to always have a presence” in Afghanistan for counterterrorism in an interview
on Fox News radio last fall. Trump envisions the Taliban helping the U.S. fight
the Islamic State, he said in a White House press briefing in February. Some
lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, also have proposed leaving
such a residual U.S. force to prevent the country being used again as a
launchpad for global terrorism. But any remaining foreign presence is a
nonstarter among Taliban members, said Andrew Watkins of the International
Crisis Group, which released a report Tuesday on the group’s internal views.
“Members of the Taliban we spoke to, at all levels of the organization, in all
parts of the country, said this was a non-negotiable issue, that there cannot
be a Western footprint,” said Watkins, the Brussels-based think tank’s senior
analyst for Afghanistan.”

 

Pakistan

 

Associated Press: Pakistan Hopes New Laws Will Lead To Removal From Watch List
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“Pakistan's information minister said Wednesday he hoped that five new bills
passed in Parliament aimed at curbing terror financing and money laundering
will lead to the country's removal from an international watch list. Shibli
Faraz commented hours after the National Assembly, the powerful lower house of
Parliament, passed bills to meet goals set by the Paris-based Financial Action
Task Force in February. The goals included targeting individuals linked to
money laundering and terror financing. The Financial Action Task Force is a top
anti-terrorism monitoring group. The task force said in February that Pakistan
had fulfilled 14 of 27 steps to get off the watch list, but still needed to do
more to track money transfers and investigate and prosecute terrorism-related
financiers. Since then, Pakistan has detained and convicted several militants,
including India’s most wanted man, Hafiz Saeed, who is now serving a five-year
prison term. Pakistan wants to get off the task force's “gray list,” the color
code for countries that are only partially fulfilling international rules for
fighting terrorism financing and money laundering.”

 

Lebanon

 

Axios: U.S. Threatens To Veto UN Peacekeeping In Lebanon Over Hezbollah
Concerns
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“The Trump administration is threatening to veto a resolution to extend the
UN's long-standing peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon if its mandate
isn't changed, Israeli and U.S. officials tell me. Why it matters: The U.S. is
the main funder of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has an
annual budget of $250 million. The veto threat is a tactical move, and part of
a broader effort to put pressure on Iran and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah.
The resolution will come before the UN Security Council for a vote at the end
of this month. It comes in the midst of a deep political crisis in Lebanon,
following the Beirut port explosion, and with tensions running high between
Israel and Hezbollah. The U.S. argues that Hezbollah is restricting the access
and movements of the UN force, compromising its effectiveness. It wants all
restrictions on the peacekeepers' movements lifted, along with enhanced
reporting to the Security Council when UNIFIL's operations are challenged. The
Trump administration is also demanding the following changes to UNIFIL’s
mandate, per Israeli and U.S. officials.”

 

Somalia

 

Voice Of America: At Least 10 Killed In Somalia After Fighting Between
Al-Shabab, Residents
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“At least 10 people were killed and five others were wounded in fighting
between al-Shabab and armed residents in Somalia's central region of Mudug,
witnesses and officials said. The fighting started Wednesday after
heavily-armed al-Shabab militants, who control parts of the region, tried to
impose taxes on the residents of Shabellow village. It’s about 20 kilometers
west of the Ba’ad weyn district, a base for the 21st division of the Somali
National Army. “Heavily-armed al-Shabab members first asked us to pass through
our village, but in fact we found out they wanted to seize our village and we
confronted them,” the head of the village, Mohamed Ibrahim, told VOA by phone.
Ibrahim said eight of the residents and a number of al-Shabab militants were
killed in the fighting. “They [al-Shabab] killed eight civilians, including
elders who could not run away, and women, and I saw the dead bodies of six of
al-Shabab fighters,” Ibrahim said. Residents said the militants briefly took
control of the village and burned houses and businesses. Al-Shabab militants
have claimed responsibility of the attack, describing the village as a Somali
military base, a claim denied by residents.”

 

Dalsan Radio: Somalia: Police Launch Manhunt After Al-Shabaab Inmate Escapes
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“Police in Mogadishu have launched a massive manhunt for Al-Shabab inmate who
escaped from prison on Tuesday night. The break out happened after inmates
grabbed a gun from a warder and killed him on the spot as they went on to kill
another warder obtaining their guns. Security forces ended the deadly shooting
inside Mogadishu central prison after several hours15 inmates were killed
during the confrontation and four warders. The Alshabab inmate was identified
as Mubarak Ibrahim Idle and was serving a ten years sentence when he escaped.
police have circulated his photograph. The escapee killed two people including
an Autorickshaw driver near the Mogadishu central prison after he escaped. This
is not the first time that inmate is escaping from the Mogadishu central prison
where many of the country's most violent Alshabab, ISIS and hardcore criminals
suspects are held.”

 

Africa

 

Agence France-Presse: Jihadists Seize Key Port In Gas-Rich Northern Mozambique
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“Islamist militants occupied a key port in gas-rich northern Mozambique on
Wednesday following days of attacks claimed by an Islamic State-affiliated
group, a military source and local media said. “The port of Mocimboa da Praia
was captured by the terrorists at dawn,” the Moz24Horas website reported, while
a military source told AFP that the small town and its port had “fallen”. The
assault is the latest in an intensifying insurgency in the country's north
since 2017 which has killed more than 1,000 people and complicated plans to
develop its offshore gas reserves. Mozambique's defence forces (FDS) confirmed
that “terrorists” had launched “sequenced attacks” on several villages
surrounding the port over the past week in an attempt to occupy the town. “At
the moment, there are ongoing actions to neutralise the terrorists that are
using populations in the affected areas as shields,” the FDS said in a
statement. Mocimboa da Praia lies less than 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of
Afungi peninsula where a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, one of Africa's
biggest single investment projects, is located. The port is currently a major
traffic hub for the gas project.”

 

Council On Foreign Relations: Mass Defection Of Boko Haram Fighters In Cameroon
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“Nigerian Major General Ibrahim Manu Yusuf, commander of the Multinational
Joint Task Force (MJTF) fighting the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency in the Lake
Chad Basin, announced August 7 that 109 Boko Haram fighters and their prisoners
had defected on the Nigerian-Cameroonian border. Yusuf said the defection was
encouraged by a campaign through which Boko Haram fighters who defect would be
pardoned. This specific group of defectors have been taken to the Cameroonian
Center for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration. The facility
reportedly was built to accommodate 100 but already has 250 residents.
According to Voice of America (VOA), the defectors consisted of forty-five
Nigerian and three Cameroonian fighters, forty-five Nigerian children, and
sixteen women, characterized as “sex slaves.” It is not clear whether the women
and children had been kidnapped. One defector said he had joined Boko Haram in
return for a promised motorcycle. He said that in the two years he had been
part of the movement he had been unable to see his two wives, perhaps implying
that his participation was coerced.”

 

France

 

RFI: French Terror Victims Group To Take Legal Action Over Brutal Niger Attack
Photos
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“The French organisation representing victims of terrorism says it will file a
legal complaint after the publication of photos of the bodies of humanitarian
workers killed in Sunday's attack in Niger. It says the images were relayed to
France, notably by accounts linked to far right followers and jihadist
movements. The French foreign ministry has issued a firm warning this Wednesday
against travelling to Niger after six French nationals were among eight people
killed by suspected jihadists at the weekend. The ministry website said people
were “strongly advised” not to travel anywhere in the country, the exception
being the capital Niamey, for which travel was “not advised unless for
compelling reasons.” The new advice means that the southern part of Niger,
roughly a quarter of the country, has been added to the so-called red zone, for
which there is a strong recommendation to avoid. The managing director and
spokesman of the French terror victims association (AFVT), Guillaume Denoix de
Saint Marc, said the pictures came from two sources, probably from within Niger
and were then relayed by extremist groups."

 

New Zealand

 

The Canberra Times: Dozens Head To NZ For Mosque Terror Trial
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“Dozens of people affected by the Christchurch mosque shootings have returned
to New Zealand ahead of this month's sentencing. Minister Megan Woods said 53
people - including some from Australia - were currently in NZ's managed
isolation facilities, quarantining for a fortnight so they can either
participate or support family. Australian Brenton Tarrant, 29, will be
sentenced for his atrocity in a multi-day hearing in Christchurch's High Court
beginning August 24. Tarrant was convicted of 51 counts of murder, 40 of
attempted murder and one terrorism charge in March after reversing his initial
plea. High Court Justice Cameron Mander has withheld the sentencing until now
to allow the full participation of as many victims as possible. Ms Woods, a
Christchurch-based MP, said she was pleased to be able to overcome COVID-19 and
facilitate the movement of people. “They're just incredibly pleased that in the
middle of a global pandemic, where it is incredibly difficult to move around
the world, that they have been able to travel here,” she told Radio NZ. Ms
Woods said among the cohort were 34 victims and 13 support people, who had
travelled “to be able to support their family members, many of whom are those
who lost immediate family members, fathers and brothers and so forth, in the
shootings.”

 

Technology

 

The Verge: Facebook Still Hosts Boogaloo Extremist Groups, Report Finds
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“Facebook is still littered with groups and pages aligned with the
antigovernment “boogaloo” movement months after the company announced that it
would ban these communities, according to a new report from the Tech
Transparency Project Wednesday. In June, Facebook announced that it would
remove groups dedicated to the boogaloo movement, months after reports first
surfaced that the right-wing extremist group leveraged the platform to organize
for an armed revolt. At the time, Facebook said that it removed over 200
boogaloo Facebook groups and 95 Instagram accounts for violating its policies
against organized violence, along with 400 other groups that were related to
the extremist movement. But that policy change could be less effective than it
originally suggested. In its report Wednesday, the Tech Transparency Project
said that it had “found that Facebook has consistently failed to spot boogaloo
activity and missed boogaloo groups’ simple name changes designed to evade
detection.” The organization identified 110 boogaloo Facebook groups that were
created since the platform announced its ban on them in June and some of these
groups “have more than 1,000” members. They often share instructions on
creating explosives and other harmful behavior.”

 

JURIST: Facebook Has Not Shared Evidence Of Myanmar Crimes: UN Investigator
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“The head of the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM)
said Monday that Facebook has not shared evidence of “serious international
crimes” relating to its investigation into military abuses in Myanmar. Nicholas
Koumjian, head of the UN body collecting evidence of the most serious
international crimes and violations of international law for the purpose of
criminal prosecution, told Reuters that Facebook holds information that is
“highly relevant and probative of serious international crimes” but has not
shared it with the IIMM yet. Koumjian said, “Unfortunately, to date, the
Mechanism has not received any material from Facebook but our discussions
continue and I am hopeful that the Mechanism will eventually receive this
important evidence.” A case on the interpretation and application of the
Genocide Convention is ongoing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
over the 2017 military “clearance operation” that led more than 730,000 people
to flee to Bangladesh. The 2019 case was instituted by The Gambia. Myanmar
denies the charge of genocide and has maintained that its security forces were
conducting legitimate operations against Rohingya militants who attacked its
border police.”



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