Eye on Extremism
July 10, 2019
The
Guardian: UK And France To Send Further Forces To Syria In Aid Of US
Withdrawal
“Britain has agreed to deploy additional special forces in Syria
alongside France to allow the US to withdraw its ground troops from
the ongoing fight against the remaining Isis forces in the country. US
officials briefed on Tuesday that Britain and France would contribute
10% to 15% more elite soldiers, although the exact numbers involved
remain secret. The decision was first reported in the journal Foreign
Policy, which described the development as “a major victory … for
Donald Trump’s national security team” because few other countries had
been willing to help out. Earlier this week, it emerged that Germany
had rejected a request to deploy ground troops in Syria. Other
countries have been dragging their heels, the US admitted, although
Italy is considering whether to join Britain and France.”
Fox
News: ISIS Still Strikes Fear In Germany Amid Reports Of Government
Losing Track Of 160 Former Militants
“The Islamic State caliphate may have fallen in the Middle East,
but the terrorist group still strikes fear in Germany. A newly
released German government intelligence report for 2018 finds a high
level of danger from ISIS returnees. Of the more than 1,000 Germans
who traveled to Syria and Iraq to fight for the terrorist group, 350
are back in Germany. Others have died, or remain in Kurdish prisons,
mainly in Syria, with a small number in Iraq. Some of the returnees
are in German jails, while others await trial. Some are in hiding
after slipping through the European Union’s porous borders. The German
government has admitted having completely lost track of more than 160
of the former ISIS militants, the DW reported. The report by Germany’s
domestic security agency, Bundesamt fur Verfassungsschutz (BFV), warns
that the returnees, who are glorified by domestic radical Islamic
groups, may commit crimes. ”They are greeted as heroes because they
fought for an Islamic state,” Deidre Berger, director of the Berlin
office of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), told Fox News. The
report states that in regards to the risk of returnees, “the picture
is heterogeneous.” “The spectrum is assessing these persons ranges
from the 'disillusioned,' whose activities significantly decline after
return and/or are no longer detectable, to persons with combat
experience ready to commit violence,” it says.”
The
Washington Post: U.S. Slaps Sanctions On Hezbollah Officials For
Aiding Iran
“The Trump administration announced new sanctions on Tuesday
targeting three senior officials of Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese
militia, saying the group had employed “Mafia-like behavior” in the
country. Though the three men whose assets were frozen are all
Lebanese, the move was as much against Iran, Hezbollah's primary
backer. In announcing the sanctions, a senior administration official
said the three men — two of whom are prominent politicians — had been
using their positions to facilitate Hezbollah’s “malign agenda and do
Iran’s bidding.” The Hezbollah officials are Amin Sherri, Muhammad
Hasan Ra’d and Wafiq Safa. The administration official, speaking on
the condition of anonymity under White House rules, said Sherri, a
member of parliament, had threatened violence against Lebanese bankers
and their families to force their help in getting around U.S.
sanctions on a Hezbollah financier. The official said Ra’d, also a
member of parliament, is a “key Hezbollah decision-maker.” Safa is the
head of Hezbollah's security apparatus, and officials said he has
facilitated the entry of illegal drugs and weapons into Lebanon.
Another official said the administration is taking a “gloves off”
approach to Hezbollah.”
The
New York Times: It’s War On Afghan Civilians, Even As Both Sides Talk
Peace
“On Sunday morning, as Taliban officials in Qatar began discussing
with an Afghan delegation the need to reduce civilian casualties, more
than a hundred schoolchildren were wounded during a Taliban attack in
eastern Afghanistan. Early Tuesday morning, Afghan commandos raided a
hospital in central Afghanistan, reportedly killing four hospital
employees — just after the Taliban and Afghans released a joint
declaration promising to “minimize civilian casualties to zero.” The
two attacks underscored a sobering reality in Afghanistan: Public
pledges to spare civilians mean little as long as the combatants seek
leverage by continuing attacks that endanger innocent bystanders. As
negotiations inch toward a possible peace deal, those commitments will
be tested daily on the ground. The unprecedented joint declaration on
civilian casualties came after the Taliban met for the first time with
Afghan officials, face to face in a luxury hotel ballroom. The
so-called intra-Afghan dialogue was followed Tuesday by a pause in the
seventh round of peace talks between the United States and the Taliban
in Doha, Qatar. Officials said the talks were suspended for several
days so that each side could hold discussions with its
leadership.”
The
Hill: Berkeley Professor Warns Deepfake Technology Being 'Weaponized'
Against Women
“A professor at the University of California, Berkeley on Tuesday
warned that deepfake technology is being used to target women and
create nonconsensual pornography. “These aren’t abstract notions,”
Hany Farid, who is also a senior advisor to the Counter Extremism
Project, told Hill.TV while discussing the threats that deepfake
technology poses to society as a whole. “We see how this technology
more often than not is being weaponized against women and so I think
we have to now start taking that more seriously,” he continued. The
Berkeley professor said addressing the threats of this technology will
take a multi-pronged approach, arguing that lawmakers need to start
thinking about how to regulate this space. “We just have to keep
putting pressure both in the public, from the press, from the
advertisers and threats of legislation and penalties and the hope is
we can start to corral what is the mess of the internet right now,” he
told Hill.TV.”
CNS
News: Anti-Extremism Groups, Lawmakers In Europe Want Apple To Ban
‘Fatwa’ App
“A French senator and a British lawmaker have joined with other
campaigners to call for a ban on a mobile application linked to the
Muslim Brotherhood and its perceived spiritual leader, the
controversial Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi. At a recent press
conference at the Senate in Paris, Senator Nathalie Goulet, who
previously led a commission investigating militant networks in Europe,
and British member of parliament Ian Parsley Jr. called on Apple to
ban the Euro Fatwa app. Representatives of three British associations
which counter extremism said the app was dangerous, conveys hate, and
has a negative impact on young Muslims in their country. After
complaints, Google reportedly pulled it from its Google Play Store
around mid-May. (The Saudi daily Arab News quoted a Google spokesman
at the time as saying, “While we can't comment on individual apps,
we'll take swift actions against any app that break our policies once
we've been aware of them, including those that contain hate speech.”)
The Euro Fatwa app is available on the Apple app store in English,
Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese, and its stated aim is “to enable the
European Muslims to adhere to the regulations and manners of Islam and
to fulfil their duties as Muslim citizens.”
United States
Al
Jazeera: US Wants Military Coalition To Patrol Waters Off Iran,
Yemen
“The United States says it is working to form a military coalition
to protect commercial shipping off the coast of Iran and Yemen amid
heightened tensions in the region following attacks on oil tankers in
the Gulf. Under the proposal, a coalition of nations would patrol
strategic waters in the Gulf area and the sea between the Arabian
Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs
of Staff said on Tuesday. "We're engaging now with a number of
countries to see if we can put together a coalition that would ensure
freedom of navigation both in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab
al-Mandab," said Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff. Dunford said the Pentagon had developed a specific
plan, and that he believed it would be clear within a couple of weeks
which nations were willing to join the effort.”
Haaretz:
U.S. Seeks A Congress-Approved Deal With Iran, Says Trump
Envoy
“The United States is seeking a Congress-approved agreement with
Iran to replace the 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump
abandoned last year, the U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian
Hook told Al-Jazeera satellite television network. The Trump
administration has long argued that one of the flaws of the deal
agreed under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama is that it was not
formally ratified by the U.S. Congress. The United States may impose
fresh sanctions on Iran, Hook also said, according to Twitter posts
from Al Jazeera. He said the Gulf Arab states could be more effective
in confronting Iran if they were united. The Trump administration has
been locked in a heated political battle with congressional Democrats
who control the U.S. House of Representatives in what many critics are
calling a Constitutional crisis. Numerous current and former
associates of Trump have refused to cooperate with Democratic-led
congressional investigations of the Republican president and his
business interests."
Syria
The
Washington Post: UN envoy arrives in Syria amid violent clashes in the
north
“The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria said Tuesday he is looking
forward to constructive discussions with Syrian officials on the
formation of a constitutional committee as a “door opener for the
broader political process.” Geir Pedersen spoke with reporters in the
Syrian capital Damascus shortly after arriving from neighboring
Beirut. He is scheduled to hold meetings with Syrian government
officials on Wednesday. “I’m looking forward to have what I believe
are constructive discussions on how to move the political process
forward,” Pedersen said, adding he would also discuss ways to end the
fighting in northwestern Idlib province. Syria is locked in a
devastating civil war pitting President Bashar Assad’s forces against
rebels seeking to topple him. Fighting has raged in and around Idlib
as government troops backed by Russia seek to make advances on the
ground against insurgents who control the province. Pedersen’s arrival
also coincided with a new rebel offensive in the mountains of the
coastal Latakia province, with opposition activists saying rebels
overran a series of Syrian army positions. The Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights said clashes are underway in several locations in the
Turkman Mountains. It said the fighting killed 35 people on both sides
in the opening hours.”
The
Telegraph: Crop Fires Are Destroying Syria's War-Ravaged Farmers - But
Who Is Starting Them And Why?
“The wall of smoke from the raging crop fires was so dense that Ali
Mohammad lost sight of his companions. With few trained firefighters
in this part of Kurdish-held northeastern Syria, it was down to the
31-year-old teacher and others from his village to put out the flames.
But while Mr Mohammad managed to stumble to safety, fire scorching the
back of his head as he ran, the others succumbed to the smoke. “We’ve
never seen anything like this. A fire happens here and we’ll go to put
it out, and another happens somewhere else,” Ali’s cousin Fowaz
Mohammad, 28, told The Daily Telegraph, perching on a plastic chair in
a tent in the village of Kurayfat where his family are hosting
condolences for his brother Saleh. While blazes in this dry corner of
the country, known as Rojava to the Kurds, are not unusual for this
time of year, their unprecedented scale and ferocity have left farmers
wondering if they are being started on purpose. And if so, who would
do such a thing?”
Iran
New
York Times: U.S. Imposes Sanctions On Hezbollah Officials Accused Of
Supporting Iran
“The Trump administration imposed sanctions on three senior
Hezbollah officials in Lebanon on Tuesday, accusing them of having a
“malign agenda” to support the Iranian government. The sanctions were
the first to directly target members of Lebanon’s Parliament and
underscored the White House’s intention to ratchet up pressure on Iran
by punishing groups with ties to its government. The United States
considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization even though members of
the group have embedded into legitimate parts of the Lebanese
government. Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra’d, who are members of
Parliament, and Wafiq Safa, a senior Hezbollah security official in
Lebanon, were added to the Treasury Department’s sanctions list.
“Hezbollah uses its operatives in Lebanon’s Parliament to manipulate
institutions in support of the terrorist group’s financial and
security interests, and to bolster Iran’s malign activities,” Sigal
Mandelker, the Treasury Department’s under secretary for terrorism and
financial intelligence, said in a statement.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Getting Iran Out Of Syria Is No Easy
Task
“Israel has undertaken at least 200 air raids against Iranian
targets in Syria since 2017. Mossad head Yossi Cohen said at a
security conference in Herzliya recently that Israel’s objective is to
make Iran “reach the conclusion that it is just not worth it” to
continue its project in Syria. Israel’s evident intelligence
domination in Syria is impressive, as is the prowess of its pilots.
But while air power is a mighty instrument, it’s applicable only to
certain tasks. The Iranian project in Syria is broad, deep and
multifaceted. Some of its elements are acutely vulnerable to air
power—research facilities, missile sites, convoys. But others are not.
Iran is engaged in a broad effort designed to merge the structures
under its command with the Syrian state itself. The objective, as in
Lebanon and Iraq, is to remove any identifiable borderline between the
Iran-controlled element and the local power structure. Iran intends to
implant a kind of “deep state,” under its control, within the existing
state machinery.”
Reuters:
Exclusive: Iran's Release Of Lebanese Prisoner Was Failed Overture To
U.S.
“Iran’s release last month of Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese businessman
with U.S. permanent residency, after four years in prison was meant as
an opening for U.S.-Iranian talks, according to three Western sources
familiar with the issue. The gesture, however, was not enough for
Washington, which did not pursue it. “It was a missed opportunity,”
one U.S. source said of Zakka’s June 11 release and the U.S. decision
not to pursue talks. “We should have explored whether there was
something there.” A second source — who is familiar with Iran’s
thinking and spoke on condition of anonymity — said Iran freed Zakka
as a signal it wanted to cool tensions that have fueled fears of a
war, and described his release as “a goodwill gesture.” “This was seen
as a de-escalation step from their side, which obviously they expected
to be somehow reciprocated from the American side,” said the second
source, adding that the United States did not take up the
overture.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Iran Threatens Retaliation Over British Seizure
Of Its Tanker
“Iran’s military warned it would retaliate in response to the
seizure of one of its tankers by British forces in Gibraltar last
week, while several European foreign ministers urged Tehran to return
immediately to full compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. “This move
will not remain without response,” Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the
chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, was quoted as saying by state
news agency IRNA on Tuesday. Mr. Bagheri didn’t say how his country
would respond, but his warning came days after another senior Iranian
official tweeted that Iran should impound a British tanker if the
vessel carrying Iranian oil wasn’t released immediately. The threat
prompted a British-flagged BP PLC tanker to shelter near the Saudi
coast on the Persian Gulf for fear of being seized, according to a
person familiar with the matter. BP declined to comment. Bloomberg
earlier reported BP was keeping the tanker in the Persian Gulf.”
The
Jerusalem Post: Three Iranian IRGC Members Killed In Northwest
Iran
“Three members of the Hamza Saiyid al-Shohada, a local force of the
Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed near
Piranshahr, just kilometers from the Iraqi border in northwest Iran.
This is a serious incident and although no group initially claimed
responsibility focus will likely shift towards Kurdish dissident
groups that operate in the Kurdish regions of northwest Iran. Last
fall Iran’s IRGC fired ballistic missiles at Koya in northern Iraq,
targeting Iranian Kurdish opposition groups. This led to a cessation
of attacks by several Kurdish groups, including PJAK, KDPI and PDKI,
all of which oppose Iran’s regime and had been alleged to be behind
several attacks in the summer of 2018. Iran’s Tansim news agency said
that the IRGC members were attacked at the entrance to the city by
“terrorists” who Iran claimed were “affiliated with the arrogance of
the world,” a generalization that likely means Iran sees US or western
hands behind the attack. The names of two of the killed were released
on Tuesday night. The IRGC said that it would continue its
intelligence work and search for “terrorists” in the area.”
Iraq
Al
Jazeera: Iraq Government Employees Face Prosecution For Working Under
ISIL
“As the city fell to the occupation of Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL) five years ago, many doctors in Mosul's public
hospital ripped off their scrubs and fled. Labeeb, a doctor himself,
was unable to join his colleagues in their escape as he had just
reached the hospital with his wife who was showing complications in
her pregnancy. “There were lots of gunshots... The doctors even left
their patients and ran away,” Labeeb, whose name has been changed to
protect his identity, told Al Jazeera in an interview last month. His
wife needed a caesarean section though the anaesthetist had already
fled, leaving her to bear a child with a birth defect at 8pm on June
9, 2014 - the same day ISIL took over the city. “My child was about to
die. It was a tough time. It forced me to stay in the hospital and
witness everything,” he said. Labeeb, employed by the Iraqi
government, is one of the hundreds of government employees under
investigation for working under ISIL, also known as ISIS. As the group
occupied the city, it began building its administration from the
foundations of the existing Iraqi government workforce.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: At Least 3 Killed In ISIS Attack In N.
Iraq
“At least three people were killed in northern Iraq on Tuesday in
what authorities said was an attack by ISIS militants. Four people
were wounded when three mortar bombs hit the town of Shirqat, police
officials and hospital sources said. Police in the area said ISIS was
involved in the attack and the mortars were fired from a nearby
mountainous area were militants are still active. “ISIS fighters are
hiding in (the) Makhoul mountains area and use it as a launchpad for
their attacks,” said Shirqat police colonel Khalil Sahan, according to
Reuters. ISIS has recently mounted a series of hit-and-run attacks
aimed at undermining the government. Iraq declared victory over the
group, which once held large swathes of the country, in December 2017.
But after they were defeated and driven out of areas they controlled
for years, the militants have adapted their tactics to insurgent-style
attacks.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Iraqi Forces Targets ISIS Sleeper
Cells
“Iraqi army units, backed by the international coalition and with
the participation of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), continue
to target ISIS terrorists in three governorates: Nineveh, Salaheddine,
and al-Anbar on the Iraqi border with Syria. The Ministry of Defense
issued a statement announcing that the military operation dubbed “Will
of Victory” would continue under the supervision of the Joint
Operations Command, indicating that the island’s operations command
was able to destroy two terrorist sites and two explosive devices.
Nineveh operations command added that the air force succeeded in
killing three terrorists inside a vehicle, asserting the operation
will continue until achieving all of its objectives. Meanwhile, the
Popular Mobilization Forces confirmed the participation of about 13
brigades in “Will of Victory”, less than a week after Iraqi Prime
Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi announced a plan to restructure the PMF
within the Defense Ministry's military forces. The PMF issued a
statement saying their forces and security forces developed a plan to
maintain the security and stability of the region after its liberation
from ISIS remnants. In Diyala, the provincial police command announced
the implementation of a security operation in Balad Ruz district
within operation “Will of Victory.”
Al
Monitor: Iraq Seeks To Issue Identification Papers For IS
Children
“More than two years have passed since Iraq was liberated from the
Islamic State (IS). The Iraqi government is now working to issue
identification documents for children born under IS rule. The
Telegraph reported June 22 that nearly 45,000 children in Iraq do not
have identification documents due to being born in IS territory. This
has obstructed the issuance of identification documents
following liberation. The Iraqi government has now altered its
previously undeclared position — that it would not issue documents to
these children — and will move to grant them Iraqi citizenship. Such a
step aims to prevent thousands of children from unknown fates. Rezan
al-Sheikh, the rapporteur for the Children and Women’s Affairs
Committee of the former parliament, said June 26 that the government
has started developing mechanisms to resolve the problem. “The
government adopted fair and just mechanisms away from any personal and
sectarian stances,” she said. “Hence, those children will be granted
identification documents.” Article 18 of the Iraqi Constitution
stipulates that children born to an Iraqi father or mother shall be
granted citizenship, meaning that children born under IS rule are
entitled to Iraqi citizenship.”
Turkey
Reuters:
Two Turkish Soldiers Killed In Attack By Kurdish Militants:
Ministry
“Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants launched an attack on a
Turkish military vehicle in southeast Turkey on Tuesday, killing two
soldiers and wounding another, the country’s defense ministry said.
It said the attack occurred in the Hakkari province of Turkey, which
borders Iraq and Iran, and was carried out from a distance. It did not
specify what form the attack took. The PKK, which is deemed a
terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European
Union, launched its insurgency in 1984 and seeks autonomy in Turkey’s
largely Kurdish southeast. More than 40,000 people have been killed
in the conflict.”
The
Economist: In Turkey, Demography Is A Brake On
Islamisation
“TURKEY’S PRESIDENT, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, makes no secret of his
desire to raise what he calls a “pious generation”. Since his Justice
and Development (AK) party became Turkey’s dominant force in 2002,
elevating Islam’s public role in this constitutionally secular
republic has been more than a slogan; it has found expression in many
government policies. During his sixteen years in power, Mr Erdogan has
presided over the construction of thousands of new mosques and Islamic
vocational schools, known as imam hatips. The number of students at
such institutions has increased more than fivefold since 2012, to an
estimated 1.4m in a country of about 80m. The budget of the religious
directorate, the agency responsible for the conduct of sermons in the
country’s mosques, has grown by leaps and bounds, overtaking several
ministries in the process. The government has quietly cultivated
relations with a number of Islamic movements and brotherhoods, helping
them accumulate considerable power and wealth.”
Afghanistan
Al
Jazeera: Air, Ground Attacks Kill Civilians Hours After Afghans Talk
Peace
“Government forces in Afghanistan have killed several civilians in
two separate attacks, hours after Afghan leaders
and Taliban representatives resolved to end non-combatant casualties
at a meeting in Qatar. An air raid at a village in northern Baghlan
province killed a mother and her six children on Tuesday, according to
provincial council member Shamsulhaq Barakzai. The attack came shortly
after a two-day intra-Afghan dialogue concluded in Qatar's capital
Doha, where the delegates agreed on a road map for peace in war-torn
Afghanistan. In a statement, the Afghan defence ministry acknowledged
that seven members of a family were killed in the air attack, which it
said was carried out for “the elimination of the enemy”. The
statement, which added that the ministry had assigned a team to
investigate the incident, came after residents of Kotub Khiel village
carried the seven dead bodies to the provincial capital of Pul-e-Kumri
and blocked traffic in protest. Hikmat, a neighbour of the family,
told Al Jazeera that the father, a farmer identified as Ismael, was
wounded in the raid and was undergoing treatment in a local hospital.
“Unfortunately, Ismael's house was hit in the air attack, which killed
his wife and children on the spot,” Hikmat said.”
Yemen
Arab
News: Scores Of Houthi Militants Killed In
Clashes
“The Yemeni army killed 20 Houthi militants during clashes in Dhale
province, south of the country, Saudi national news agency SPA
reported on Wednesday. The militia were trying to infiltrate a
district in Dhale when the Yemeni troops launched a counter attack,
forcing them to flee. A further 23 militants were killed in clashes
with army forces in Saada province on Tuesday. The army also liberated
central roads in Baqam district in Saada.”
Middle
East Eye: Yemen: Houthi Court Sentences 30 To Death For Spying For
Saudi-Led Coalition
“A Yemeni court run by Houthi rebels sentenced 30 people to death
on charges of espionage for Saudi Arabia and its allies in the
international coalition fighting in Yemen, a judicial source has said.
The source, cited by AFP news agency, said that 30 men, mainly
academics, trade unionists and preachers, were handed death sentences
on Tuesday and six others were acquitted by the criminal court in the
Houthi-controlled capital city of Sanaa. The defendants have been
detained for a year, the source added. He said the men were found
guilty of providing the coalition with information on military
targets. A Saudi-led coalition has been engaged in a military campaign
in Yemen since 2015, after the Houthis overran Sanaa and ousted Yemeni
President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is backed by Riyadh. Efforts to
end the fighting have failed so far, with neither side coming to a
long-term agreement.”
Middle East
NDTV:
In Message, Al Qaeda Chief's Threat On Kashmir, Indian
Army
“Al Qaeda terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri has, in a video released by
the global terror outfit, called for "Mujahideen in Kashmir" to
inflict "unrelenting blows" on the Indian Army and the government in
Jammu and Kashmir. In the video message titled "Don't Forget Kashmir",
the terror chief has also talked about Pakistan's involvement in
fueling cross-border terrorism in Kashmir. "(I am) of the view that
the Mujahideen in Kashmir - at this stage at least- should
single-mindedly focus on inflicting unrelenting blows on the Indian
Army and government, so as to bleed the Indian economy and make India
suffer sustained losses in manpower and equipment," Zawahiri says, an
assault rifle on his right and a Quran to his left. While Zawahiri
does not mention Zakir Musa, the terrorist killed in May by security
forces in Kashmir, his photo flashes on the screen as he speaks on
Kashmir. Zakir Musa was the founder of the Indian cell of the Al
Qaeda, titled "Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind". Al Qaeda has been preparing the
upstart group for attacks on security forces in Kashmir.”
Voice
Of America: US Sanctions 3 Hezbollah Officials, Including 2 Members Of
Lebanese Parliament
“The U.S. government announced new sanctions Tuesday on three
senior officials of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah for its role
in undermining Lebanon's financial system and assisting Iran's agenda
in the country. The targeted Hezbollah officials are Amin Sherri,
Muhammad Hasan Ra'd and Wafiq Safa. Sherri and Ra'd are members of the
Lebanese parliament, while Safa is known to be a major Hezbollah
facilitator. This is the first time that the U.S. Department of the
Treasury has targeted members of the Lebanese parliament who are
affiliated with Hezbollah, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist
organization. "They have assisted the Iranian regime in its efforts to
undermine Lebanese sovereignty," U.S. State Department spokesperson
Morgan Ortagus said during a press conference Tuesday. "These
officials have exploited their positions to smuggle illicit goods into
Lebanon, undermining Lebanese financial institutions to assist
Hezbollah and to evade U.S. sanctions against Hezbollah facilitators
and financiers," she added.”
Libya
The
New York Times: U.S. Missiles Found In Libyan Rebel Camp Were First
Sold To France
“A cache of powerful American missiles was sold to France before
ending up in the hands of rebel fighters loyal to Gen. Khalifa Hifter,
who is seeking to overthrow the United Nations-backed government in
Tripoli. The four Javelin anti-tank missiles, which cost more than
$170,000 each and are usually sold only to close American allies, were
recovered last month by Libyan government forces during a raid on a
rebel camp in Gheryan, a town in the mountains south of Tripoli. A
French military adviser denied on Tuesday that the weapons were
transferred to General Hifter, which would violate the sales agreement
with the United States as well as a United Nations arms embargo. It
would also put Washington at odds over Libya policy with France, a
staunch NATO partner and ally in other hot spots like West
Africa.”
Somalia
The
Washington Post: Somalia Executes 3 Over Deadly 2017 Hotel
Attack
“Somalia’s military says it executed three men convicted of
carrying out a deadly attack on a hotel in the capital in 2017. A
statement issued by the military said the three were shot dead by a
firing squad at a police academy in Mogadishu Wednesday. The men were
convicted of participating in an assault on Nasa-Hablod hotel which
killed 18 people and wounded 47 others in October, 2017. The three
were members of Somalia’s al-Shabab Islamic extremist rebels and were
arrested during the attack on the hotel. Somalia’s homegrown extremist
group, al-Shabab, is allied to al-Qaida. The rebels were pushed out of
the capital, several years ago, but they continue to operate in the
countryside and frequently carry out violence attacks on hotels in
Mogadishu.”
Africa
Voice
Of America: Tunisia's Upcoming Elections Vulnerable To Terror Threats,
Experts Warn
“As an estimated 6.7 million Tunisian voters prepare to head to the
polls to elect their next government later this year, a growing fear
of terrorist attacks could risk undermining the democratic process in
the North African country, some analysts warn. Two suicide attackers
blew themselves up in two separate bombings against police in the
capital Tunis on June 27, leaving at least one police officer dead and
injuring eight people. A third bombing occurred on July 2 after a
militant surrounded by police blew himself up. Islamic State militant
group claimed responsibility for all three attacks. The incidents
occurred during the peak of the country's tourism season and as the
country prepares to hold parliamentary elections in October and
presidential elections in November. The elections are critical for
Tunisians in consolidating their democratic process, which began after
the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali during the Arab
Spring protests in 2011, said Sarah Yerkes, an expert on Tunisia at
the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) in Washington.
As such, the country is going through “a dangerous time” because
jihadist organizations that flourish in chaos will likely increase
their activities to spread fear among voters.”
United Kingdom
The
Telegraph: Britain 'Planning To Send More Troops' To Syria To Backfill
US Withdrawal
“Britain is planning to send more troops to Syria to support
partner forces in the fight against Isil, after pressure from the US
to pick up slack as it begins its drawdown, it has been reported. The
UK has never made public the number of special forces it has operating
in Syria, but it is thought to be several dozen. Both the UK and
France - the only other US allies on the ground - are said to be
prepared to increase their commitment by 10-15 per cent each,
according to US official quoted in Foreign Policy, who said they would
be asking for financial assistance in return. The Ministry of Defence
declined to comment. Germany on Monday rejected a similar request from
Washington to increase their military contribution, saying it was only
prepared to offer “non-combat assistance.”
Australia
The
Sydney Morning Herald: Extremist Groups Pose More Risks
Now
“Extremist jihadi groups Islamic State and al-Qaeda pose more of
risk now than when the so-called “caliphate” of IS commanded vast
swathes of Iraq and Syria, a leading Australian security think tank
has warned. And it has questioned the effectiveness of legislation to
block foreign fighters from returning home, saying that by allowing
them to come back, the government can focus on their rehabilitation
rather than letting them loose on “weak and fragile” countries where
they can wreak harm. “Despite having no territory and having lost many
of their leaders, both al-Qaeda and ISIL [another term for IS]
continue to pose a threat to the maintenance of international peace
and security” the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says. “In
fact, one could argue that they pose more of a threat today as the
structure of the groups has moved from integrated to fragmented,
making command and control more tenuous.” The institute cites figures
from its counterpart in the US, the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies, calculating that there are around 218,000
salafi-jihadis and allied fighters around the world.”
The
Sydney Morning Herald: Sydney Teen Accused Of Plotting Terror Attack
Was 'IS Sympathiser With Interest In Jihad,' Court
Hears
“A Sydney teenager, who was arrested for plotting a terrorist
attack in 2016, allegedly used a mobile phone to search the internet
for Islamic State propaganda and find answers to questions such as
when a person can “ask his parents' permission to go to jihad” a court
has heard. The teenage boy, who was 16 when he was arrested alongside
another 16-year-old boy in a small Islamic prayer hall in Bankstown,
is standing trial in the NSW Supreme Court. He is charged with jointly
committing an act in preparation or planning for a terrorist act,
after he and the other boy visited the Bankstown Gun Shop, where four
knives were purchased on two occasions between October 6 and 12 in
2016. He has pleaded not guilty to the offence. When the two boys were
arrested at the Bankstown Musalla prayer hall on October 12, they were
found with a backpack allegedly belonging to the now-19-year-old.
Inside the backpack there were two bayonet knives, a shirt from a
Sydney high school uniform, ski goggles and a handwritten note
pledging allegiance to Islamic State in Arabic and English script. “I
advise you of piety towards god and walking in the path of god's
messenger and to pledge allegiance to the caliphate ... “ a
translation of the script reads.”
Europe
The
National: Moroccan Jailed In Portugal For ISIS
Recruitment
“A 65-year-old Moroccan citizen was sentenced to 12 years in prison
on Tuesday after being convicted by a Portuguese court of recruiting
young people to fight in Syria. Abdesselam Tazi was also found guilty
by the court in Lisbon of financing the recruitment using forged
credit cards. Portugal's public prosecutor said Tazi was an
intelligent man who recruited the people, mostly from Morocco, to
travel to Portugal and then join ISIS in Syria. The court, which found
him guilty of seven crimes, found no evidence that Tazi was a member
of the extremist organisation. “The sentencing caught me by surprise,”
Tazi's lawyer Lopes Guerreiro said. He said he planned to appeal
against the court's decision. “The individual was absolved of
belonging to an international terrorist organisation but he was
condemned for having recruited people for an organisation he is not
part of,” Mr Guerreiro said. Trials of this kind are unusual in
Portugal and the Justice Minister has said the number of Portuguese
citizens who joined ISIS or similar groups is “not significant”.
Portugal has never had an extremist attack on its territory.”
Southeast Asia
Al
Jazeera: Sri Lanka Bombings: Top Officials Accused Of Negligence Get
Bail
“A Sri Lankan court has granted bail to the country's police chief
and former defence secretary, a week after they were arrested over
allegations that they failed to prevent the Easter Sunday bomb
attacksthat killed more than 250 people. The magistrate's court in
capital Colombo also rejected prosecution demands that the two
officials face murder charges for the attacks, AFP news agency
reported on Tuesday. The case will be next heard on July 22. Sri
Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department had last
week arrested Inspector General of Police, Pujith Jayasundara, and
former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Hemasiri Fernando, while
they were both receiving treatment in hospital. Attorney General
Dappula de Livera had ordered their arrest for ”grave crimes against
humanity”following the findings of a presidential commission of
inquiry into the bombings of three churches and three hotels.
Jayasundara was suspended and Fernando resigned after the April 21
attacks, claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or
ISIS) and allegedly carried out by a local group. Jayasundara and
Fernando denied the allegations when they appeared before a
parliamentary committee investigating the attacks, which took
place despite repeated warnings from the Indian intelligence
agencies.”
Arab
News: Philippines Reviews Security Protocols After Terror
Attacks
“Recent terror attacks on Mindanao island, believed to be
perpetrated by foreign suicide bombers, have pushed Philippine
officials to review the country’s security protocols, the spokesman
for the Department of National Defense (DND) said on Tuesday. This
comes in the wake of the arrests of suspected foreign terrorists,
including a Kenyan who was studying to become a pilot at an aviation
school in Zambales province on Luzon island. Arsenio Andolong,
director of the DND’s Public Affairs Service, told Arab News that to
prevent other terror attacks, the government needs to “review and
study how best it can address the problem.” He cited a need to tighten
border security and immigration policy, and amend the Human Security
Act. Three terror attacks have been recorded in the past year. In July
2018, a Moroccan drove up to a military checkpoint in the city of
Lamitan and detonated a bomb, killing 10 people, including himself. In
January this year, 23 people died and more than 100 were injured in an
attack on a church in Jolo municipality, carried out by an Indonesian
couple assisted by members of the Abu Sayyaf Group. On June 29, eight
people died in an attack on the army’s 1st Brigade Combat Team (1BCT)
in Indanan municipality.”
Technology
The
Washington Post: France Moves Toward A Law Requiring Facebook To
Delete Hate Speech Within 24 Hours
“France’s National Assembly on Tuesday adopted a bill designed to
curtail online hate speech, giving social media platforms 24 hours to
remove hateful content or risk fines of up to 4 percent of their
global revenue. The bill now goes to the French Senate and could
become law after Parliament’s summer recess. French President Emmanuel
Macron has been a vocal advocate of the need to regulate hate speech
on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter before it can provoke
real-life violence. Macron began the push amid an upsurge in
anti-Semitism. And after a gunman linked to online hate groups
live-streamed his attack on two New Zealand mosques in March, Macron
joined New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in calling for an
international effort to eradicate violent and extremist content. In
France, the draft legislation was proposed by Laetitia Avia, a
lawmaker from the Paris area and Macron’s party. As a black woman, she
has faced online harassment and threats. The premise of the bill was
summed up by a campaign video in which a man wears a giant billboard
with anti-Semitic and other violent slogans. Passersby are clearly
disturbed. Some stop to confront him. “It shocks you in the street,”
Avia wrote, introducing that video.”
The
Hill: Talk Show Host Says Youtube Algorithm Isn't 'Sophisticated'
Enough To Combat Extremist Content
“The host of prominent left-leaning YouTube series “ContraPoints”
expressed doubt on Tuesday over whether the platform will ever be able
to effectively address extremist content. Even though the platform
uses a combination of people and technology to enforce its community
guidelines, Natalie Wynn, whose channel boasts about 663,000
subscribers, argued that the platform's use of artificial
intelligence to tackle potentially harmful content is fundamentally
flawed. “The problem with having computers moderate things is
computers are not very sophisticated,” she said during an interview on
“Rising.” Wynn added that YouTube, which has more than 1.8 billion
users, has an algorithm that filters out extremist videos,
but she emphasized that many far-right users pushing hate speech and
extremist content go unchecked. “The problem with that is that the
people who are pushing far-right, white nationalist viewpoints don’t
use swastikas, they don’t say the word ‘white pride,’” she told
Hill.TV. “They say ‘heritage’, they say ‘migrants’ they say ‘identity’
and the people who are saying swastikas are talking about Hitler —
those are generally the anti-fascists people.” Wynn argued that, as a
result, YouTube winds up “banning a lot of the stuff that we don’t
want to be banned and not banning the stuff that we may want to be
banned.”
The
New York Times: Twitter Backs Off Broad Limits On ‘Dehumanizing’
Speech
“Last August, Twitter’s top executives gathered at the company’s
headquarters to discuss how to make the site safer for its users. Two
attendees proposed banning all speech that could be considered
“dehumanizing.” For an example of what they meant, they showed a
sample post that featured the words President Trump used to compare
certain nations to excrement. By January, Twitter had backed off from
deeming that sample tweet dehumanizing. Instead, the post was included
in an internal company slide show, which helps train Twitter
moderators, as the kind of message that should be allowed on the
platform. And on Tuesday, when Twitter rolled out its first official
guidelines around what constitutes dehumanizing speech on its service,
the sample post was nowhere in sight. The company had narrowed its
policymaking to focus only on banning speech that is insulting and
unacceptable if directed at religious groups.”
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