Eye on Extremism
July 11, 2019
The
New York Times: Seeking Revenge, Taliban Target Afghan Soldiers’
Families
“Muhammad Didar Mukhlis Afghan, a sergeant serving at a remote
Afghan Army base, was pleased when his nephew invited his wife and son
to his wedding back home in eastern Afghanistan. The sergeant pitched
in almost $400 to help with the nephew’s wedding costs. But instead of
a wedding, the event became a murder scene. The nephew, Qari Aziz, was
among a group of Taliban fighters who killed the sergeant’s wife and
son inside Mr. Aziz’s home in May, according to Sergeant Afghan and
government officials in Paktia Province. “They attacked my wife and
son because I am serving in the ranks of the Afghan National Army,”
Sergeant Afghan said. He did not know his nephew was secretly a member
of the Taliban in Paktia, he said. “Today I buried them,” he said the
day after the killing of his wife, Najiba, and their son Muhammad Wali
Nisar, 13. “Now I just have my two daughters and son.” The killings
were the latest in a series of retaliatory Taliban attacks against the
families and homes of Afghan soldiers and police officers. They have
continued even as American and Taliban negotiators have reported
progress in talks aimed at reaching a lasting peace agreement. The
wedding party killings shocked many Afghans because they were a
grievous violation of a traditional code of hospitality — and because
an Afghan had killed his own relatives.”
Sky
News: Islamic State Still Dangerous Threat To UK And More
Unpredictable, Security Minister Warns
“Islamic State poses a challenge to all countries in the world,
while rival terrorist group al Qaeda is resurgent and could be
plotting attacks in Europe, the UK's security minister said. Ben
Wallace said the IS threat in the UK is “dangerous” and becoming more
unpredictable following the collapse of the group's self-proclaimed
caliphate in Iraq and Syria this year. He also said 250 Britons,
including fighters aligned to IS, remain in the two countries. A
number of these individuals have been detained in camps but others are
still at large. The group's ability to use the internet to attract
recruits and inspire attacks enables its global reach, the minister
told Sky News in an interview at the Home Office. “That means that
everyone has potentially an ISIS problem in every country around the
world and that that needs to be addressed collectively as a group of
international nations but also in investing in countering harms
online,” he said. Asked about the IS threat to Britain and whether it
was changing following the group's defeat in Iraq and Syria, Mr
Wallace said: “It is a different type of threat because at the moment
it's manifesting itself in lone actors and people self-inspired from
here who've never been to Syria.”
Rudaw:
Iraqi Forces Target ISIS Bomb Factories In Sweeping
Operation
“Iraqi forces have cleared several villages in Nineveh, Anbar, and
Saladin of explosive remnants left by the Islamic State (ISIS) group
and shut down workshops used to manufacture improvised explosive
devices (IEDs), the Iraqi defense ministry said Wednesday. Dozens of
IEDs were retrieved and destroyed on Wednesday as “Will of Victory” –
a combined operation of the Iraqi Army and Hashd al-Shaabi
paramilitias – enters its fourth day, paving the way for displaced
civilians to return to their homes. The Iraqi Army’s brigade 60,
supported by the Iraqi Air Force, destroyed seven suspected ISIS
hideouts in Nineveh, according a Ministry of Defense statement
released Wednesday. Nine IEDs were destroyed in a controlled
demolition and 33 Katyusha rockets seized. Brigade 43 also destroyed
12 suspected ISIS hideouts in Nineveh, and disposed of six IEDs,
according to the statement.”
The
New York Times: Iranian Boats Tried To Block British Tanker In Persian
Gulf, U.K. Says
“A British warship forced three Iranian boats to back off after
they sought to block a British tanker from passing through the Strait
of Hormuz, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday, in the latest
escalation of tensions between Tehran and the West. “Contrary to
international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the
passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait
of Hormuz,” the British government said. “We are concerned by this
action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the
situation in the region.” Iran denied any attempt to stop the tanker,
according to Iranian news agencies. Last week, British forces seized
an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar bound for Syria, on
suspicion that it was violating European Union sanctions, which Iran
called an act of piracy. Some Iranian officials spoke of retribution,
and an officer in Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps,
Mohsen Rezaei, wrote on Twitter that if the tanker were not released,
Iran “will be duty-bound to take reciprocal action and seize a British
oil tanker.”
Al
Arabiya: Syria Regime Air Strikes Hit Hospital, Kills Seven Civilians:
Monitor
“Regime air strikes on an opposition bastion in northwestern Syria
on Wednesday killed seven civilians including children and knocked a
hospital out of service, a monitor and a doctor said. The raids are
the latest in an uptick in government and Russian bombardment since
late April on the extremist-administered region of Idlib despite a
months-old truce deal. Three civilians died after the hospital was
hit, while four were killed elsewhere in the town, said Observatory
head Rami Abdel Rahman. Rescue workers known as the White Helmets said
missiles targeted the hospital and residential neighborhoods in Jisr
al-Shughur. A doctor there said the health facility had been knocked
out of service after the generators were hit, and the wounded had been
transferred to another hospital for treatment. “We have no more
generators to operate the hospital. It’s the only one for Jisr
al-Shughur and neighboring villages,” Bassam al-Khattab told AFP. An
AFP correspondent saw three destroyed generators and a damaged
ambulance covered in debris. Idlib, home to some three million people,
has since January been administered by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda
affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. But other extremist and rebel groups
are also present in the area.”
Arab
News: Sahel Nations Need More Support To Fight Extremism: UN
Chief
“UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international
community Wednesday to support West Africa’s fight against violent
extremism, saying the region alone could not be expected to contain
the spread of jihadism. A raging Islamist insurgency shows no signs of
weakening in the Sahel, where armed groups have gained ground and
displaced millions across a large swathe of the troubled region.
Guterres said the problem was spreading beyond the region and the G-5
Sahel force — a joint military effort by Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger,
Chad and Mauritania to battle the militants — needed greater outside
backing than it was getting. “Unfortunately we are seeing that
terrorism is progressing,” Guterres told reporters at the opening of a
two-day conference in the Kenyan capital on the fight against
extremism in Africa. “It started in Mali, it went to Burkina Faso,
Niger and now, when we speak with the presidents of Ghana, Benin,
Togo, and Ivory Coast, they say that terrorism is coming to their
borders.” The UN chief said it was essential African forces had “the
adequate mandate and the adequate financing” to do their job, and
called for joint efforts to fight extremism beyond the G-5
Sahel.”
Syria
Al
Arabiya: Clashes Kill 56 Fighters In Northwest Syria:
Monitor
“Regime and extremist-led forces were locked in clashes on Thursday
on the edge of an opposition bastion in northwest Syria after an
extremist-led advance that killed 56 fighters overnight, a war monitor
said. Russian and regime aircraft have ramped up their deadly
bombardment of the Idlib region - administered by Syria’s former
Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and home to some three
million people - since late April, despite a months-old international
truce deal. Clashes have also raged on the edges of the region,
including in the north of Hama province. Late Wednesday, HTS and
allied rebels took control of Hamameyat village and hilltop, in
clashes that killed 32 regime fighters and 24 fighters within the
insurgents’ own ranks, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
“The fighting is ongoing as regime planes and artillery pound the
area,” the head of the Britain-based monitor Rami Abdel Rahman said on
Thursday morning. HTS spokesman Abu Khaled al-Shami said the extremist
and rebel fighters attacked after dark, taking control of the “heavily
fortified” hill from fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Naji
Mustafa, a spokesman for the allied National Liberation Front rebel
grouping, said: “The hill is very strategic because it overlooks...
supply routes to enemy forces.”
Kurdistan
24: SDF Official Says International Court Solution To Foreign ISIS
Problem
“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) hold thousands of Islamic State
fighters and their families. Mustafa Bali, the head of the SDF press
office, told Kurdistan 24 during a recent international forum that the
solution is to set up an international court to try these foreign
terrorists in Syria’s Kurdish-run northeast. Over 200 people,
including experts from different countries, attended the three-day
event on the so-called Islamic State which the Rojava Strategic
Research Center (NRLS) organized in Syrian Kurdistan’s (Rojava) Amude.
In an interview with Kurdistan 24 on the sidelines of the conference,
Bali said the foreign Islamic State fighters who are held in SDF
prisons “have asked to be transferred to their respective countries,
and be tried at home.” “Yet, these fighters have committed crimes
against humanity on our soil, and not in their countries,” he added.
According to the SDF official, these foreign Islamic State fighters
hope they will receive short-term prison sentences if they face trial
in their home states. “An alternative that we have proposed since
these fighters have committed crimes here in Syria, was to establish
an international court here – either under the auspices of the United
Nations or the [US-led] Coalition – provided that it will be an
official international court, and legitimately supported by the
international community.”
Reuters:
Exclusive: New Chemical Weapons Team To Launch First Syria
Investigations
“A new team established by the global chemical weapons watchdog to
attribute blame for the use of banned munitions in Syria will
investigate nine alleged attacks during the country’s civil war,
including in the town of Douma, sources briefed on the matter told
Reuters. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW) was created in 1997 as a technical body to enforce a global
non-proliferation treaty. Until now it had been authorised only to say
whether chemical attacks occurred, not who perpetrated them. Last
June, the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) was established
by the OPCW’s member states during a special session, a move that has
brought deeper political division to the U.N. -backed agency. Now it
has identified the locations of its first investigations to be
conducted in the coming three years. A document circulated to OPCW
member states, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, said the team “has
identified a non-exhaustive provisional list of incidents on which it
intends to focus its investigative work” between 2014 and 2018.”
Reuters:
Assad Hits A Wall In Syrian War As Front Lines Harden
“President Bashar al-Assad’s assault in the northwest has been met
with a painful rebel counterpunch that underlines Turkish resolve to
keep the area out of his hands and shows why he will struggle to take
back more of Syria by force. More than two months of Russian-backed
operations in and around Idlib province have yielded little or nothing
for Assad’s side. It marks a rare case of a military campaign that has
not gone his way since Russia intervened in 2015. While resisting
government attacks, the insurgents have managed to carve out small
advances of their own, drawing on ample stocks of guided anti-tank
missiles that opposition and diplomatic sources say have been supplied
by Turkey. “They’re even targeting personnel with these missiles ...
it means they are comfortably supplied,” a rebel source said, speaking
on condition of anonymity because he was discussing rebel military
capabilities. Turkey’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to
a request for comment on reports that Ankara has stepped supplies of
arms to rebels.”
The
Guardian: Syrians Are Watching Their Crops Burn. These Crimes Of
Starvation Must End
“In 2017, we started an agricultural project to help hundreds of
families survive the blockade by the Assad government, as part of the
Damaan Humanitarian Organization’s programme to support civilians in
besieged eastern ghouta in Syria. The project not only provided
sustenance to the besieged population, it offered employment
opportunities for many people. Just before the harvest in 2018, our
field was bombed by the Syrian regime. The crops, and our hopes, were
destroyed. The siege had tightened and the cost of staying alive
skyrocketed for hundreds of thousands of civilians in the besieged
enclave. A briefing published last month by the Damaan Humanitarian
Organization reveals in detail how the Syrian government, and to a
lesser degree, other armed groups, intentionally and repeatedly
deprived civilians of food, deploying hunger as a core weapon in their
arsenal. It demands accountability for these starvation crimes and
highlights the humanitarian catastrophe it caused.”
Iran
The
Wall Street Journal: U.K. Navy Thwarts Iranian Attempt To Block BP
Tanker
“A British warship trained its guns on three Iranian vessels that
tried to block the passage of a U.K.-flagged oil tanker through the
Persian Gulf, the country’s Defense Ministry said, a confrontation
that comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. The
three Iranian ships tried on Wednesday to impede the British Heritage,
a tanker carrying oil for British oil giant BP PLC, but were turned
away by the HMS Montrose, the British Defense Ministry said in
statement Thursday. The U.S. and U.K. have accused Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps of mounting assaults on vessels carrying oil
through the Strait of Hormuz in recent months. However, Wednesday’s
incident marks the first time since tensions flared earlier this year
between the U.S. and Iran that a Western warship has come close to
military engagement with Iranian naval forces.”
Associated
Press: US Urges World Powers To Reject Iran’s ‘Nuclear
Extortion’
“The United States admonished world powers seeking to preserve a
deal with Iran on its atomic program on Wednesday not to give in to
“nuclear extortion” from Tehran, which has breached the pact’s
limitations in recent days in an attempt to get them to provide
economic incentives to offset American sanctions. The U.S. requested
the special board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency
after Iran announced last week that it had exceeded the amount of
low-enriched uranium it is allowed to stockpile under limitations set
in the 2015 nuclear deal. Since then, it also announced it has started
enriching uranium past the 3.67% purity allowed, to 4.5%, and IAEA
inspectors verified both developments. By doing so, Tehran hopes to
increase the pressure on the remaining members of the nuclear deal,
known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, to provide
economic relief for American sanctions. It has set an early September
deadline until it pushes limits further.”
The
Daily Wire: Iran Threatens U.S.: Our Missiles Will Destroy American
Bases And Aircraft Carriers
“On Tuesday, Iran threatened the United States, warning that it
would destroy American military bases and aircraft carriers “if they
make a mistake.” As The Counter Extremism Project has noted: The
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is tasked with preserving the
Islamic Republic of Iran and the ideals of the 1979 revolution. The
IRGC combines traditional military roles with a relentless focus on
supposed domestic enemies. The IRGC is Iran’s primary instrument for
exporting the ideology of the Islamic Revolution worldwide. It is
rigidly loyal to Iran’s clerical elite. The IRGC is Iran’s main link
to its terrorist proxies, which the regime uses to boost Iran’s global
influence.”
The
National: US Sanctions On Hezbollah Raise Stakes With
Tehran
“New US sanctions on senior Hezbollah figures on Tuesday, including
two of the Shiite group’s parliamentarians, signalled a further
escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran over the
nuclear deal. In Beirut, Hezbollah’s demands that the state responds
in solidarity with the group is set to deepen an internal political
crisis undermining confidence in the country’s economy and financial
system. The Lebanese state has fallen increasingly under Hezbollah’s
influence since the assassination 14 years ago of Rafic Hariri, the
late Sunni statesman with worldwide stature and father of the current
prime minister, Saad Hariri. Saad remains favoured by the markets over
any outright or indirect Hezbollah, and by extension Iran-backed,
replacement. This is partly because he has used his international
connections to seek economic help for the country.”
CBS
News: Iran News: U.S. Argues Its Case Against Iran To A Divided World
At Global Nuclear Agency Meeting
“The U.S. presented its case on Wednesday for the international
community to punish Iran for its recent breaches of the 2015 nuclear
deal, and offered incentives if Iran agrees to negotiate a new one.
But as the 35-member Board of Governors of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) gathered in a boardroom in Vienna, Austria, for a
closed-door meeting requested by the Trump administration, the battle
lines were already drawn, and there was little hope of a unified
stance. The IAEA is the United Nations-backed global nuclear watchdog
agency. It's responsible for monitoring and verifying Iran's
compliance with the nuclear agreement. Wednesday's special session of
its board was called by U.S. Ambassador to International Organizations
in Vienna Jackie Wolcott to discuss the "concerning" report by the
agency's director general, Yukiya Amano. Wolcott said, "the
international community must hold the Iranian regime accountable.”
CBC:
Trump Accuses Iran Of Secret Nuclear Enrichment, Threatens To Increase
Sanctions
“U.S. President Donald Trump accused Iran on Wednesday of secretly
enriching uranium for a long time and warned that U.S. sanctions will
be increased soon, as the UN's nuclear watchdog held an emergency
meeting on Tehran's breach of the nuclear deal. Washington used the
session of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) 35-nation
board of governors to accuse Iran of extortion after it inched past
the deal's limit on enrichment levels while still offering to hold
talks with Tehran. Trump offered no evidence for his claims. UN
inspectors have uncovered no covert enrichment by Iran since long
before its 2015 nuclear agreement deal with world powers. Iran says it
is reacting to harsh U.S. economic sanctions imposed on Tehran since
Trump pulled out of world powers' 2015 nuclear accord with the Islamic
Republic last year, and all its steps were reversible if Washington
returned to the deal.”
Iraq
Al
Jazeera: After ISIL, Children Try To Catch Up With School In
Mosul
“It was the end of the school year and the students at Al Huda
primary school in Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul were as spirited
as ever, running around and playing with their friends. Many said they
were sad to see school break for the summer holidays. Most of the 320
students at the school had missed out on their education when the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) occupied the city
in June 2014. The armed group took over government offices and
schools, introducing a new curriculum focusing on their harsh
interpretation of Islamic law and weapons training. Families that were
not able to flee before ISIL's advance on the city said they kept
their children out of school out of fear for their safety and that
they might be indoctrinated. According to the United Nations' children
agency in Iraq, thousands of children were deprived of formal
education because of ISIL. “When ISIL came, I thought I would never
come back to school again. I can't believe it,” said 12-year-old Najd
Ayad Hamdi, a student at Al Huda. Most of Mosul's students returned to
schools only after Iraqi forces recaptured the city in 2017, but many
are now struggling at school after missing three years of education.
Tawfiq Rafh, headteacher at Al Huda, said only children from ISIL
families attended Mosul's schools during the group's reign in the
city.”
Iraqi
News: Iraq, Turkey Agree On More Security Cooperation To Face
Terrorism
“Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali Alhakim on Wednesday chaired
his country’s delegation at a security coordination meeting in Turkey.
The meeting tackled a raft of important issues, including security
cooperation, counter-terrorism efforts and mutual coordination to
achieve aspirations of the Iraqi and Turkish peoples, Alghad Press
quoted the Iraqi Foreign Ministry as saying in a press statement. The
two sides agreed to step up the level of security cooperation in the
coming period as an “essential pillar” to achieve development, the
ministry added. They also stressed the importance of implementing the
outcome of today’s meeting. According to the statement, the next round
of talks between the two countries will be held later in Baghdad.
Turkey regularly carries out air strikes against PKK targets in
neighboring northern Iraq. The PKK, considered a terrorist
organization by Turkey, has waged a three-decade insurgency in
Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast that has killed about 40,000
people.”
Afghanistan
NBC
News: U.S.-Taliban Talks Inch America Closer To Withdrawing From
Afghanistan
“America’s longest war may yet be inching toward a conclusion.
Earlier this week, senior Taliban officials and Afghan notables issued
a “road map to peace” after two days of talks in Doha, Qatar. Within
hours, U.S. diplomats resumed talks with the fundamentalist fighters.
Soon after, the U.S. envoy for Afghan reconciliation, Zalmay
Khalilzad, was jetting to China ahead of a trip to Washington to
report and consult on the process. Khalilzad said the latest round of
U.S.-Taliban talks, which began June 29, has been the “most productive
session” since they started last year. At best, these talks represent
the first steps toward ending the war, but withdrawing U.S. troops
would not guarantee an end to the fighting between the militants and
the Afghan government. An end to decades of violence could not come
soon enough for Qudratullah Zaki, a former member of Parliament who
says he survived a Taliban attack March 7, 2018, but is nonetheless
eager to make peace with his attackers. “About 200 Afghans are dying
every day in this conflict — as civilians, security forces and also
the Taliban,” he told NBC News. “We have to end this conflict — how
long can we continue and sacrifice sons of this nation?”
Xinhua:
Afghan Forces Kill 7 Militants In S.
Afghanistan
“At least seven militants loyal to the Taliban group were killed
and eight others wounded following an ambush by security forces in the
southern Helmand province on Wednesday, provincial police chief Abdul
Salam Afghan said Thursday. The security forces launched the operation
late Wednesday, when a group of insurgents was going to attack a
security post in Pul-e-Seyah area of the province, killing seven
fighters including their commander Mawlawi Shabir on the spot and
injuring eight others, the official said. No security personnel had
been harmed during the fire exchange, the official added. Taliban
militants fighting government forces in the region have not made
comments on the report yet.”
Pakistan
The
Telegraph: Al Qaeda Chief Calls For Unrelenting Kashmir Jihad Against
India And Says Pakistan Cannot Be Trusted
“Al Qaeda's chief has called on jihadists in Kashmir to launch
unrelenting blows against India as he also attacked Pakistan's army,
saying it could not be trusted to liberate the territory. Ayman
al-Zawahiri used a video statement to call militants to wage attacks
“to bleed the Indian economy and make India suffer sustained losses in
manpower and equipment”. The statement was an attempt by the group to
stake a claim to Islamist jihad in South Asia after competition from
Islamic State and other groups, analysts suggested. Militant groups
have fought troops in Indian-administered Kashmir for decades, but
violence has increased in recent years as Delhi has waged a
heavy-handed crackdown against protestors. A car bombing in Pulwama
claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group killed
around 40 paramilitary police in February, bringing Delhi and
Islamabad close to war. Both sides claim the disputed territory in
whole, and Pakistan's military has long been accused of sponsoring and
supporting groups such as JeM to attack Indian troops. But in an
outspoken attack on the Pakistani military Zawahiri said a history of
“failures, defeats, corruption and treachery” showed they could not be
trusted to free Kashmir.”
Yemen
Xinhuanet:
Yemeni Gov't Threatens To Halt Prisoner Swap Talks With Houthis Over
Death Sentences To Political Activists
“Yemen's internationally-backed government on Wednesday threatened
to suspend prisoner swap negotiations with the Houthi rebels in
protest against death sentences handed to 30 detainees in Sanaa. "The
death sentences issued by the illegitimate Houthi court against 36
political activists in Sanaa are considered illegal," said Hadi Haig,
head of the prisoner swap committee, on Twitter. "The Houthi actions
may lead to suspending the negotiations of implementing the prisoner
swap deal or a complete collapse," he warned. Meanwhile, the Yemeni
government official also called on the UN envoy to "stand against
these illegal Houthi actions." On Tuesday, a court in the Yemeni
rebel-held capital Sanaa sentenced 30 people to death over charges of
espionage for Saudi Arabia and its allies in the anti-Houthi military
coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen.”
Middle
East Monitor: Yemen Calls On UN To Prevent Houthis From Executing 30
Activists
“The Yemeni government yesterday called on the United Nations to
intervene “by all means” and prevent the Houthis from executing 30
political activists in Sanaa. In a letter sent by Deputy Foreign
Minister Mohammad Hadrami to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Michelle Bachelet and UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, the
official discussed “the need to intervene by all possible means to
stop the Houthi militias from executing a group of civilian, activists
and journalists”. He added that this was “part of a series of sham
trials in which the militias are blatantly violating the human rights
guaranteed by all international covenants and norms”. “The Houthi
militia’s mock trials and the issuance of death sentences against
innocent citizens mentioned in the prisoner exchange deal in the
Stockholm agreement, represent extrajudicial killings,” Hadrami
said.”
Khaleej
Times: Arab Coalition To Present Evidence Of Houthis' Attack On Ship
In Red Sea
“The Arab Coalition to restore the legitimate government in Yemen
said on Tuesday it would counter the terrorist attempts of the
Iranian-backed Houthi militia, which target the maritime shipping and
international trade, Saudi Press Agency, SPA, reported on Tuesday.
Col. Turki Al Malki, the official spokesman of the Coalition Forces
said the Coalition would present the international community the
irrefutable evidence of Houthis' foiled attempt to attack a commercial
vessel through a booby-trapped boat in the southern Red Sea on Monday,
the SPA quoted Al Malki as saying. He said the Houthis' act was a
violation of international humanitarian law.”
Lebanon
Al
Jazeera: Lebanese President Regrets US Sanctions On Hezbollah
Lawmakers
“Lebanon regrets the US imposition of sanctions on
two Hezbollah members in the Lebanese parliament and will pursue the
matter with American authorities, President Michel Aoun said on
Wednesday. The United States announced new sanctions against the two
lawmakers from the Hezbollah movement on Tuesday, as well as on one of
the group's top security officials, drawing expressions of concern
from Lebanese officials. Hezbollah, a heavily armed movement allied to
Iran, is a party in the Lebanese coalition government and considered a
“terrorist” group by the US. “No doubt, it has taken a new
direction,” Hariri said of the US move. “But this will not affect the
work we are doing in parliament or the ministers. It is a new matter
that we will deal with as we see fit... The important thing is to
preserve the banking sector and the Lebanese economy and, God willing,
this crisis will pass sooner or later,” he said in a statement.
Lebanon's parliament speaker earlier slammed the new US sanctions
targeting Hezbollah officials as an assault against the whole country.
Amin Sherri and Muhammad Raad, members of Lebanon's parliament, as
well as Wafiq Sada, who coordinates with Lebanon's security agencies
were sanctioned.”
Middle East
The
Jerusalem Post: After Israel Visit, Un Official Spearheads
Anti-Terrorism Conference
“The U.N. announced an up-and-coming conference that will focus on
those victimized by terrorism around the world, a Wednesday press
release reported. The idea emerged after Vladimir Voronkov, the UN
Deputy Secretary General for Counterterrorism, visited Israel. The
conference will bring together citizens of 121 countries who were
effected by terrorism. The UN “understands terrorism is not just a
part of the Middle East,” Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations
Danny Danon said, adding that it is “a global threat that must be
dealt with in a wide range of tools and swift force.”
Libya
BBC
News: Libya Conflict: French Missiles Found On Pro-Haftar
Base
“France has denied breaching a UN arms embargo after four of its
anti-tank missiles were found on a base loyal to a rogue Libyan
general. The country's defence ministry says the “unusable” US-made
Javelin missiles were never intended to be passed to any group, and
were due to be destroyed. However, they were discovered in a camp
south of the capital Tripoli, used by forces loyal to General Khalifa
Haftar. Gen Haftar's forces are currently fighting for control of the
city. The battle for Tripoli - home of the internationally recognised
government - began when Gen Haftar's forces launched an attack in
April, with hundreds killed in the months since. The four missiles
were discovered in June when forces loyal to the UN-backed government
overran the camp, prompting an investigation in Washington. France
admitted the weapons - which can be used against tanks and other
vehicles - belonged to them in a statement on Wednesday. “These
weapons were for the protection of forces undertaking intelligence and
counter-terror missions,” the defence ministry statement said. It
added the missiles were “damaged and unusable” and “being temporarily
stocked at a depot ahead of their destruction”. France has always
denied arming Gen Haftar's forces, but has offered diplomatic
support.”
Nigeria
Al
Jazeera: The Brave Women Fighting Boko Haram In
Nigeria
“Boko Haram killed the two most important people in Komi Kaje's
life within two days. In November 2015, Komi Akaji, her 46-year-old
brother, was shot dead by Boko Haram fighters. “There were seven
students killed. When I got there, I saw he was shot twice in the
head,” Kaje said. The days of mourning followed according to
tradition. Kaje was broken but Peter Adam, her 35-year-old boyfriend,
provided some relief. On a Saturday afternoon, Adam observed mourning
rites with Kaje's family and shared lunch with her. But Boko Haram
attacked again, turning a visit of solace into sorrow. “They shot him
in his chest and head and he fell inside a ditch. The bullet touched
his brain,” said Kaje, her eyes in tears. Kaje has tried hard to
forget the killings but military sirens, the sound of gunfire, and
constant exposure to the areas where her loved ones were shot dead
were enough to provoke new trauma. If she moved to a new city, her
parents thought, it might help her heal. Kaje relocated to
Abuja, Nigeria's capital, to spend some recovery time. But Kaje
realised the solution wasn't to run, “because Boko Haram was
everywhere”. Maybe, Kaje thought, if she could play a role in
defeating the fighters some healing would come.”
NPR:
Girls Captured By Boko Haram Brought Into Focus In 'Beneath The
Tamarind Tree'
“The British Sierra Leonean journalist Isha Sesay led CNN's Africa
reporting for more than decade — covering stories ranging from the
Arab Spring to the death of Nelson Mandela. But now, in her first
book, titled Beneath the Tamarind Tree, Sesay has a chance to explore,
in depth, the story most important to her career and closest to her
heart: the ISIS-affiliated terrorist group Boko Haram's 2014
kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from the northern Nigerian town of
Chibok. Sesay broke the story and followed it for years, despite
government obfuscation and waning international interest after a wave
of social media activism (remember #BringBackOurGirls?). For two
years, 219 of the girls remained in captivity and 112 are still
imprisoned. In Beneath the Tamarind Tree, Sesay combines the released
Chibok girls' stories with her own journalistic experiences to
powerful effect. Sesay is a briskly opinionated writer, and from the
first chapters Beneath the Tamarind Tree presents a forceful
combination of reportage and social analysis. Having left CNN, Sesay
is free to ground her book in her own advocacy for girls' education —
and in her determination that the Chibok girls' story not be left in
“a Nigerian vacuum.”
Somalia
All
Africa: Somalia: Somali Troops Retake Small Villages From Al-Shabaab
Militants
“A senior Somali military commander says the troops have launched a
massive operation against Al-Shabaab militants in Bakool region, south
of the country. The commander of the Army infantry division, General
Odowa Yusuf Rageh told the state media that they have pushed
Al-Shabaab out of two areas near Hudur, the region's capital during
the operation. Recently, Somali and AU forces intensified pressure on
the Al-Qaeda-linked group as part of efforts to regain control of the
entire country which is set to hold first one person, one vote polls
in 2020-2021. Al-Shabaab has been driven out of Mogadishu in 2011,
but, the militants still capable of staging attacks in the
government-controlled areas in Somalia.”
Africa
Morocco
World News: Lisbon Court Sentences Moroccan Man For Recruiting For
ISIS
“On July 9, the Court of Lisbon sentenced Moroccan national
Abdessalam Tazi to 12 years in prison for his involvement with ISIS.
The judge sentenced Tazi after the Portuguese court found the
defendant guilty of recruiting young Moroccans to fight for ISIS. Most
of the young men recruited by Tazi were of Moroccan nationality. The
65-year-old Moroccan national was convicted on seven charges. Besides
recruiting fighters for ISIS, he was found guilty of providing
financial support to the terrorist group via forged credit cards.
However, the public prosecution office failed to find evidence proving
Tazi’s direct affiliation with the leaders of ISIS. During the
hearing, the prosecutor recognized that Tazi was a highly intelligent
person who had been able to bring Moroccan citizens to Portugal with
the intention of sending them to Syria.”
United Kingdom
The
Sun: ISIS Fanatics Warn Londoners To Prepare For ‘Invasion Of
Caliphate Cubs’ In Sick Poster Showing Big Ben In
Flames
“TWISTED ISIS supporters have released another threatening poster,
this time advising London to "stay tuned for the invasion of the cubs
of the caliphate." The threat comes after their supporters released
three posters last week picturing attacks on Big Ben, Manhattan Bridge
and a burning aeroplane. "Cubs of the caliphate" pose a threat to
London in the near future, the poster claims. The latest poster
depicts a morbid scene - a lone young boy who looks no older than
eight, sat grasping a rifle while a dystopian-looking London burns.
Leafless trees frame a bleak image of the Houses of Parliament as the
young boy stares into the distance. The poster was shared on twitter
by an account claiming to belong to a "Geopolitical, National security
and intelligence analyst focusing on Jihadism and monitoring terrorist
organizations.”
Germany
Deutsche
Welle: Kyrgyzstan-Born German Sentenced For Joining Militants In
Ukraine
“A German court found Kyrgyzstan-born Alex D. guilty of
“jeopardizing state security” on Wednesday over his participation in
the east Ukraine conflict. The 43-year-old factory worker had spent
two years among the pro-Russian rebels. German laws forbid mercenaries
from taking part in military conflicts abroad. However, Alex D.'s
punishment for his illegal adventure in Ukraine is little more than a
slap on the wrist: the court has taken into account his admission of
guilt and sentenced him to two years parole. He even hopes to keep his
job in the furniture factory in the town of Löhne in northwest
Germany. Alex views it as a “chance of a normal life.” While in
Donbass, the militant's life was far away from any idea of “normal.”
On one of the photos presented during trial, Alex is seen posing on a
tank, others show him with an AK47, or with other mercenaries in
uniform. It is hard to tell for sure what exactly the 43-year-old was
doing for almost two years in the conflict zone. This is what has
saved him from prison. Prosecutors in Dortmund are confident that Alex
directly took part in combat. “We see the defendant with a sniper
rifle in the photo,” prosecutor Christoph Köster said in his final
statement. “He says he was only defending a hospital. You don't need a
sniper rifle to do that.”
Australia
ABC
News Australia: Islamic State Recruit From Melbourne Languishes In
Kurdish Prison As His Father Begs For His
Release
“In the middle of Islamic State's chaotic last stand in Syria, a
26-year-old Australian man made a desperate call to his father in
Melbourne. Should he stay in the besieged enclave of Baghouz, or
surrender with other members of the extremist group? “He said, 'the
truck is here, what should I do?',” said Jahangir Alam. As the
caliphate crumbled around Mahir Absar Alam, his father had been
seeking advice from the Australian Federal Police (AFP). “I said, 'I
talked to the AFP, they tell you to jump on [the truck] and go where
they take you.' After that it was very hard for me to continue to talk
to him,” Mr Alam said, his voice cracking. It has been five years
since Mahir deceived his family and left Australia for Syria to find
an Islamic utopia. Now he is being held in a Kurdish prison, and his
father is begging for Australia to bring him, his Syrian wife, and
their two children home. “The Government should bring them back and
deal with them under Australian law. “From my son's perspective, [he]
is not as bad as everyone thinks,” Mr Alam said.”
Europe
The
Spectator: The European Fighters Who Battled Isis – And Were Abandoned
By Their Governments
“Foreign fighters are returning from the battlefield — not
Islamists but the Americans, Europeans and South Americans who fought
to rid the world of Isis. But for all their bravery, their homecoming
is a tricky one because their home countries do not want them back. I
have now interviewed more than a dozen volunteers. Many of them share
similar stories of arrests and detentions. They have been stripped of
their ability to travel, have their movements monitored, their bank
accounts closed. One of them, an American, has since committed
suicide. One fighter, who wishes to be known as Max, tells me in an
email that he has left his home country of Denmark. He had returned
for a short while after enlisting for a six-month tour in the Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) of north-eastern Syria where he fought to rout
Isis from its de facto capital and caliphate. During Max’s time there,
the Danish government issued a law that made his mere presence in
Syria illegal. He hadn’t heard about the change until he left Rojava,
the north-eastern semi-autonomous Kurdish region where the SDF is
based, to return home. ‘Being back in Denmark… has been mentally
tiring and challenging, mainly because of my fear of the police
suddenly showing up on my doorstep,’ he says.”
Southeast Asia
Vice:
Terrorist Group Behind Bali Bombings Use Palm Oil Plantations To Fund
Terrorist Activity
“Twelve years ago, a Jakarta court banned Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) for
ties to terrorism, but the organization didn’t disappear. Just last
month, the Indonesian police force’s anti-terrorism Special Detachment
88 detained five JI members in Bekasi, West Java. Among them was Para
Wijayanto, a JI emir or unquestioned leader, who has been a
fugitive since 2003. Wijayanto himself was involved in the deadly 2002
Bali bombings that killed 200 people, as well as several other
attacks. Despite his arrest however, JI remains a significant threat
not just to Indonesia, but the rest of the region. This, especially
after police discovered palm oil plantations owned by the group, which
they use to fund their operations. The group is said to run two palm
oil farms in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Most Indonesian terror cells fund
their operations through foreign donors and donations. While JI
is also supported by various educational and research institutions,
palm oil farms as sources of funding is a new development. “The palm
oil farm generates income to fund their activities and their
officials’ salaries and other individuals in their network,” police
spokesperson Dedi Prasetyo said in a press conference. The discovery
stoked fears of the group regaining its strength.”
The
Straits Times: Indonesia To Assess Whether ISIS Fighters' Kin Can
Return
“Indonesia may be made to choose between being humane and
protecting its security as it considers whether to take back more than
100 of its citizens believed to be family members of Indonesians who
joined the militant group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
These Indonesians have been stranded in a refugee camp in Syria since
the failed caliphate was ousted by US-led coalition forces in March.
Indonesia's counter-terrorism agency BNPT chief, Inspector-General
Suhardi Alius, said on Monday night that Indonesia is open to letting
all of them return, but was quick to set a condition: Each must first
be thoroughly investigated in Syria, as they have reportedly burned
their Indonesian passports and all forms of identification. The
government has set up a task force at the political, legal and
security affairs coordinating ministry that will decide Indonesia's
stance on this, but no timeframe has been set on when a decision would
be taken. “I will propose in the task force's meeting that we go and
do our assessment there, so we know the clusters of networks (they
were supported by)... (and) how radical they are,” General Suhardi
said at a discussion organised by Indonesia's Tempo magazine. His
remarks in Monday night's discussion came amid heated debate among
Indonesians over whether to receive these Indonesians back home,
following reports that the group of mostly women and children were at
the Al Hol refugee camp in north-eastern Syria, where they went to
after ISIS lost Baghouz, its last stronghold in the country.”
The
Straits Times: Philippine Officials Confirm First Suicide Attack By
Local Militant
“Security officials confirmed yesterday the first-ever case of a
suicide attack carried out by a Filipino, in what they said marked an
escalation in the deadly tactics used by militants linked to the
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In a news briefing, military
spokesman Brigadier-General Edgard Arevalo said Norman Lasuca, 23, set
off one of two bombs that exploded inside a temporary camp of a
special army counter-terrorism unit in Indanan town, on Jolo island in
Sulu province, on June 28. Three soldiers who were manning the camp's
gate were killed, along with three civilians who were nearby. Lasuca
and another attacker had explosives strapped around their torsos. Both
died. Tissue samples taken for DNA testing confirmed that Lasuca was
the son of a woman who belonged to a Filipino-Muslim ethnic group
known as the “Tausug”. Colonel Bernard Banac, the police spokesman,
said in the same briefing that the identity of the other militant
could not be ascertained, as no kin had come forward to claim his
remains. ISIS had claimed responsibility for the Sulu attack, but Col
Banac said it was “locally initiated”. He tagged the Abu Sayyaf,
founded in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda
network, as behind it. “There is no evidence linking ISIS,” he
said."
The
Jakarta Post: Islamic State-Linked Group Behind Murder Of Father, Son:
Sulawesi Police
“Central Sulawesi Police said that the East Indonesia Mujahidin
(MIT), a terrorist group that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic
State (IS) movement, was allegedly behind the murder of a father and
his son in Batu Tiga, Parigi Moutong regency, Central Sulawesi. Chief
Brig. Gen. Lukman Wahyu Hariyanto confirmed on Tuesday that the
suspects, members of MIT, are on the police's wanted list. The
victims, named Tamar, 50, and his son Patmar, 27, were residents of
Poso, which borders Parigi Moutong in the north. Both were found dead
with their throats slit, police reported. The police said the suspects
and the victims had run into each other several times in Poso and the
suspects had intimidated the victims each time. Police said the MIT
members often demanded the farmers give them food. They moved to
neighboring Parigi Moutong, likely because they were afraid something
bad would happen to them, Lukman said. The murder of Tamar and Patmar
happened on June 25, taking place in the Tinombala Task Force’s
operational area. The force happened to be pursuing MIT members on the
wanted list at the time. The members were assumed to roam in the
border areas between Parigi Moutong and Poso.”
Technology
PC
Magazine: Human Help Wanted: Why AI Is Terrible At Content
Moderation
“Every day, Facebook's artificial intelligence algorithms tackle
the enormous task of finding and removing millions of posts containing
spam, hate speech, nudity, violence, and terrorist propaganda. And
though the company has access to some of the world's most coveted
talent and technology, it's struggling to find and remove toxic
content fast enough. In March, a shooter in New Zealand live-streamed
the brutal killing of 51 people in two mosques on Facebook. But the
social-media giant's algorithms failed to detect the gruesome video.
It took Facebook an hour to take the video down, and even then, the
company was hard-pressed to deal with users who reposted the video.
Facebook recently published figures on how often its AI algorithms
successfully find problematic content. Though the report shows that
the company has made tremendous advances in its years-long effort to
automate content moderation, it also highlights contemporary AI's
frequent failure to understand context.”
Vice:
We Analysed More Than 1 Million Comments On 4chan. Hate Speech There
Has Spiked By 40% Since 2015
“On 4chan you'll find anime, porn, and sports chatter. You'll also
find an endless stream of racist threats, stomach-churning memes, and
misogynistic vitriol — and it’s getting worse, according to a VICE
analysis of more than 1 million comments on one of the site’s most
popular message boards. On the heavily trafficked “politically
incorrect” board, slurs against racial, ethnic, religious, or sexual
or gender minorities have increased by 40% since 2015, while neo-Nazi
propaganda has proliferated. And users on the forum are increasingly
making violent threats against minority groups: Comments that include
both hate speech and violent language have increased by 25% over the
same period. After a wave of recent attacks by white nationalists
across the world, social media platforms have begun cracking down on
hate speech. But anonymous online forums like 4chan — a comment board
designed to facilitate discussions between users posting threads of
text, images, and memes — have remained a toxic, anonymous mixture of
hate, bigotry, and misogyny, and have given violent extremists a kind
of digital safe space.”
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