Eye on Extremism
September 9, 2019
The
New York Times: After Trump Calls Off Talks, Afghanistan Braces For
Violence
“President Trump’s decision to break off peace talks with the
Taliban, at least for now, left Afghanistan bracing for a bloody
prelude to national elections this month, while the administration
declined on Sunday to rule out a withdrawal of American troops without
a peace accord. In a round of television interviews, Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo blamed an attack by the Taliban for the cancellation
of talks at Camp David this weekend that the administration had
expected would lead to the signing of a peace agreement. Mr. Pompeo
said that the Taliban had “tried to gain negotiating advantage by
conducting terror attacks inside the country,’’ resulting in the death
of an American soldier in Kabul. “We’re going to walk away from a deal
if others try to use violence to achieve better ends in a
negotiation,’’ he said. But after abruptly scrapping a diplomatic
process that appeared to be inching toward a conclusion, it was
unclear where Mr. Trump would go from here.”
CNN:
America's Top Ally In Syria Warns ISIS Is Resurging And Asks For More
US Support
“America's top ally in the fight against ISIS, the commander of the
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, warned Friday that the terrorist
group was resurging in Syria and asked for increased US support for
his troops as they seek to keep ISIS from reestablishing itself. Asked
if he agreed with a recent Pentagon inspector general report that said
ISIS was resurging in Syria after President Donald Trump's decision to
withdraw about half the US troops from the country, Gen. Mazloum
Kobani Abdi, the Syrian Democratic Forces commander, told CNN that
“this is our opinion as well.” While US Defense Secretary Mark Esper
recently said the terror group was not resurging in Syria, Mazloum
told CNN in an exclusive interview that ISIS had prepared for its
transformation into an insurgency even before it lost its last
territorial holdings in the country. Speaking through an interpreter,
Mazloum said ISIS' new insurgency was enabled because the group had
some freedom of movement in areas bordering the region of Syria that
the Syrian Democratic Forces control, including across the border in
Iraq and places west of the Euphrates River that are ostensibly
controlled by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which
the SDF has stayed independent of.”
The
Financial Times: Australia Deploys World’s First Law To Tackle Online
Extremism
“Australian authorities have ordered five websites to remove
extremist content or face prosecution, in the first application of a
controversial new law introduced in the wake of March’s terror attack
in Christchurch. The abhorrent material targeted by Canberra includes
videos showing the beheading of a Scandinavian tourist in Morocco and
an attack by a white supremacist on two mosques in Christchurch that
killed 51 people and sparked a global debate over restricting access
to extremist content online. The offending websites are all based
outside Australia, according to the country’s eSafety commission,
which in April was granted powers to investigate and order the removal
of extremist content. “These are fringe websites that revel in gore
and hatred. All of them are based overseas,” Julie Inman Grant,
Australia’s eSafety commissioner, told the Financial Times.”
The
Guardian: Police Raids Find Huge Arms Cache Linked To Islamic Terror
Group
“A significant arms cache, including a sniper rifle, a silencer and
tracer rounds linked to the banned terrorist group al-Muhajiroun have
been found in Coventry, the Observer can reveal. Officers
from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit and MI5 are
investigating the weapons haul, which also includes a shotgun and 200
rounds of ammunition, following raids at several addresses in the
city. A statement from West Midlands Police, which assists the
regional counter-terrorism unit, said: “Firearms and ammunition were
recovered during the raids and a police investigation is ongoing.”
Four men have been arrested, one of whom has links to the
al-Muhajiroun network, according to sources. The group, active in the
UK since the mid-1980s, disappeared after the July 2005 attacks on
London, but maintained a presence under various different names. It
was eventually banned in 2009 under legislation outlawing
“glorification” of terrorism. Supporters of al-Muhajiroun,
whose traditional centres of organisation are the East End of London
and Luton, have carried out atrocities including the 2017 London
Bridge attack, the July 2005 bombings and the murder of Lee Rigby in
2013, with a number fighting for Islamic State and al-Qaida
abroad.”
Haaretz:
Israel: Shi'ite Force Fired Rockets From Syria; 'Strike On Syria-Iraq
Border Kills 18 Iran-Backed Militiamen'
“Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) struck Iran-back militias in
eastern Syria, local media reported Sunday overnight. On Monday, the
Israeli army said Shi'ite units led by Tehran's Quds Force attempted
to fire several rockets Sunday overnight which failed to cross over to
Israel. Outlets affiliated with the Syrian opposition, which based
their reports on those of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights',
said the UAVs attacked militias near Al Bukamal, close to the
Syria-Iraq border. Eighteen Iran-back militia members were killed in
the strike, the British-based watchdog said on Monday. The Assad
regime and Syrian state media didn't report the incident. On Monday,
the Israeli army said it identified a several launches from Syria that
failed to cross over to Israel. They were carried out by Shi'te
militias led by Iran's Quds Force from the outskirts of Damascus, the
statement said, adding it considered the Assad regime responsible for
any action that takes place under its sovereignty.”
VICE
News: Police Warn That Accused Neo-Nazi Canadian Soldier Could Have
Fled To U.S.
“Patrik Mathews, a Canadian Armed Forces member who is now
suspended from duty, has been linked to the group and missing for
almost two weeks. The 26-year-old Mathews was exposed as a member of
The Base through a series of explosive stories in which Winnipeg Free
Press reporter Ryan Thorpe went undercover to gain access to the group
and meet in person with Mathews."The Base is particularly dangerous
because of [its] focus on developing and sharing skills useful for
terrorism and guerilla warfare, such as ambushes, weapons training,
and making explosives," Joshua Fisher-Birch, research analyst at the
Counter Extremism Project, said in a previous VICE story about The
Base. "This is a radical group that not only wants violence but is
preparing for it."
United States
The
Wall Street Journal: Liberal City Tags Speech As
Terrorism
“Only Congress can declare war, but the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors is trying. Last week it voted unanimously to brand the
National Rifle Association, an association with millions of American
members, a “domestic terrorist organization.” Law books have plenty to
say on the definition of terrorism, but the supervisors don’t seem to
have cracked one. Instead they suggest terrorism occurs anytime
someone uses a “weapon” to threaten others’ personal safety or
“substantial” property damage. They try to attribute this view to the
U.S. Justice Department, ignoring all the other elements that
distinguish terrorism from other types of armed crime, such as that
criminal acts be used to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or
government target. An even greater problem for the supervisors is that
the NRA and its members are generally law-abiding. The resolution
therefore claims that even otherwise lawful acts—such as training or
providing funds—that assists or enables someone you should have known
might misuse weapons constitutes “material support.” That includes the
NRA’s “advocacy,” “propaganda” and “promotion” both of gun ownership
and of “extremist positions.” In a word, speech.”
Newsweek:
Student Charged With Making 'Terrorist Threats' After Claiming Online
He'd 'Shoot Up The School'
“14-year-old high school student in Mississippi has been charged
with making “terrorist threats on social media” after he posted a
message online claiming that he would shoot up his school. The
unidentified boy attends St. Martin High School in Jackson County and
was arrested by police on Saturday, after he made the threatening post
on Friday evening, local new station NBC 15 reported. Posting to
social media, the boy reportedly threatened that he'd “shoot up the
school Monday.” A message the school sent to parents explained that
administrators were the ones who notified police about the threat.
“Last night I was alerted of a threat made against SMHS via social
media. As always, the threat was taken very seriously and law
enforcement became involved. The person making the threat is now in
police custody being charged with a felony. As of July 1, the state of
MS considers such threats against schools as a terroristic threat,”
the note said, according to local news channel WLOX 13. “Although it
saddens us that a poor decision could have such a serious impact on a
young person's life, such statements written or uttered WILL NOT be
tolerated. School safety above everything else is our NUMBER ONE
priority,” the school official explained. Jackson County Sheriff Mike
Ezell said that the boy was quickly identified by officers and
detained.”
Syria
France
24: US, Turkish Troops Launch Joint 'Safe Zone' Operation In Northeast
Syria
“Turkey hopes the buffer zone, which it says should be at least 30
kilometers (19 miles) deep, will keep Syrian Kurdish fighters,
considered a threat by Turkey but U.S. allies in the fight against the
Islamic State group, away from its border. Associated Press
journalists in the town of Tal Abyad saw about a dozen Turkish armored
vehicles with the country's red flag standing along the border after
crossing into Syria, and American vehicles about a mile away waiting.
The two sides then came together in a joint patrol with American
vehicles leading the convoy. At least two helicopters hovered
overhead. The Turkish Defense Ministry confirmed the start of the
joint patrols and said unmanned aerial vehicles were also being used.
Washington has in the last years frequently found itself trying to
forestall violence between its NATO ally Turkey and the Kurdish
fighters it partnered with along the border to clear of IS
militants.”
The
Washington Post: The West Has Lost Confidence In Its Values. Syria Is
Paying The Price.
“The crisis of Western values has many aspects, many faces. There
is a decline in faith in liberal democracy, a loss of confidence in
universal human rights, a collapse in support for all kinds of
transnational projects. There is a constitutional crisis brewing in
London. There is a president who defies democratic norms in
Washington. There are challenges to the free press and independent
judges in democracies everywhere, from Budapest to Manila. But this
same crisis — this same loss of Western self-confidence, this same
collapse of faith in ideals — also has a bloodier, more violent face.
That face is the ongoing war in Syria — or rather the slow, grinding,
murderous endgame of the war in Syria. Right now, the Syrian
government army, aided by its Russian allies, is fighting the last
pockets of resistance in Idlib, the only remaining rebel province in
northwest Syria. As these forces advance, they shred what remains of
humanitarianism and the law of war. Against the Geneva Conventions,
they are hitting civilians. Worse, they are targeting the sick and
injured. As a precaution, the United Nations gave the Russian
government the location and coordinates of hospitals in Idlib. But
instead of protecting them, the Russians might have shared those
locations and coordinates with the Syrian government.”
The
Guardian: British-Iranian Relations Strained As Oil Tanker Is Seen Off
Syria
“Britain is seeking to establish whether Iran has sold oil to Syria
in breach of written undertakings given by Tehran to authorities in
Gibraltar. Iran’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that a tanker seized
by British Marines on 9 July and released in August had reached its
final destination “on the Mediterranean coast” and sold its oil –
without identifying the country. However, Adrian Darya, previously
called Grace 1, has been seen off the coast of Syria for the past
three days. The supertanker was detained off Gibraltar for allegedly
breaking EU sanctions on Syria. On 15 August a court in Gibraltar
released it when Iran gave assurances it would not sail to Syria,
despite pressure from the US for the ship’s continued detainment. The
US Department of Justice issued a warrant for the seizure of the ship,
and the US Department of State has confirmed that US officials
subsequently offered the ship’s Indian captain millions to take the
ship’s oil to a port where the oil – worth as much as as £110m – could
be impounded by the US. After the captain gave no positive response,
he and the ship were put under US sanctions.”
BBC:
Syria War: 'Air Strikes' Hit Iran-Backed Forces Near Iraq
Border
“The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring
group, said at least 18 Iranian and pro-Iranian fighters were killed.
It was not clear who carried out the overnight strikes in and around
the town of Albu Kamal. But Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks
on Iranian-linked targets in Syria during the country's civil war. It
has sought to thwart what it calls Iran's "military entrenchment" in
Syria and shipments of Iranian weapons to militant groups such as
Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights cited
its sources as saying the unidentified warplanes had bombed bases,
arms depots and vehicles belonging to Iran-backed militias in al-Hizam
al-Akhdar and other areas around Albu Kamal. Omar Abu Layla, a
Europe-based activist from the DeirEzzor 24 group, said powerful
explosions were heard across the town, and that there was a "state of
chaos and panic" among the militia fighters.”
Iran
The
Washington Times: Iran Gives Hezbollah Precision-Guided
Terrorism
“The war between Israel and the
Iranian-controlled Hezbollah terrorist network is continuous. It has
flared into major conflicts several times since 1982. The last round
was fought for 34 days in 2006. Though Israel has prevailed in these
conflicts, it has never truly succeeded in preventing Iran from
rebuilding and rearming Hezbollah nor deterring Hezbollah from new
rounds of war. In late August, when an Israeli drone exploded near
a Hezbollah office in Lebanon, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the
incident was an act of war. In response, Israel accused Hezbollah of
accelerating the conversion of many of its crude missiles into
precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and urged the Lebanese government to
prevent Hezbollah from doing so and thus converting much of its
arsenal to vastly more effective weapons. Mr. Aoun has no power to do
either because Hezbollah is a far greater political force in Lebanon
than is his government and because Hezbollah answers only to the
ayatollahs. Hezbollah is believed to possess at least 130,000 rockets
and missiles of various types. Many are the crude Katyusha-type
rockets that Hezbollah often fires into Israel.”
CNBC:
US Treasury Warns Shipping Industry Against Doing Business With Iran
And ‘Oil-For-Terror’ Networks
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and its external Quds Force are
still moving oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars through
sprawling illicit shipping networks, despite a maximum pressure
sanctions regime from Washington and scores of corporate and
government entities blacklisted. Washington is working to crack down
on this, the U.S. Treasury Department says, and it’s warning those in
the maritime industry to be wary of involvement with regimes or
entities that have been deemed terror sponsors by the U.S. — or face
steep costs. Sigal Mandelker, under secretary for terrorism and
financial intelligence at the U.S. Treasury Department, spoke to
CNBC’s Hadley Gamble during a visit to Abu Dhabi. “What we’re doing on
this trip and really every day is we’re telling the maritime industry
that they need to be on high alert, they need to continue to
sophisticate their ability to track vessels that are involved with any
of these regimes,” Mandelker said. “Whether it’s Iran, Venezuela or
North Korea, no one should want to have anything to do with funding
regimes engaged in this kind of activity.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Iran Says Freed Tanker Has Unloaded
Oil
“A tanker released from Gibraltar despite U.S. objections that it
was carrying crude to Syria has unloaded its oil, a top Iranian
official said, after the ship dropped anchor near a Syrian port.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, said the Adrian
Darya 1 oil tanker “had unloaded its cargo and its owner will decide
about its future,” according to the state news agency IRNA late
Sunday. The Iranian oil official said the vessel was near an
unspecified Mediterranean coastline, but his statement could undermine
European attempts to mend fences between Tehran and Washington. The
tanker was released on Aug. 18 after Iran pledged that the tanker’s
cargo wouldn’t be delivered to Syria, which is under European Union
sanctions due to the continuing civil war in the country.”
Associated
Press: UN Atomic Wachdog Confirms Iran Installing New
Centrifuges
“The United Nations’ atomic watchdog confirmed Monday that Iran is
preparing to use more advanced centrifuges, another breach of limits
set in the country’s unraveling nuclear deal with major powers. Iran
had already announced the step, its latest violation of the 2015
agreement as it tries to pressure European signatories to find a way
to maintain oil shipments and ease the toll of U.S. sanctions on the
Iranian economy. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported its
inspectors verified the installation of new centrifuges. The agency
said all had been “prepared for testing” but none yet tested at the
time of the Sept. 7-8 inspection. The nuclear deal was meant to keep
Tehran from building atomic weapons — something Iran denies it wants
to do — in exchange for economic incentives. Its collapse started with
the United States unilaterally withdrawing from the deal last year and
imposing increased sanctions. The other signatories — Britain, France,
Germany, China and Russia, as well as the European Union — have been
struggling to salvage the agreement and find a way to meet Tehran’s
demands.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Macron’s Bad Bargain With Iran
“Iran on Saturday took another giant step toward gaining nuclear
weapons by admitting it is now using arrays of advanced centrifuges to
enrich uranium. This is its latest violation of the 2015 nuclear deal
and puts more pressure on Europe to decide whether it wants to keep
subsidizing this nuclear breakout. First the European signatories
tried to evade U.S. sanctions by creating a new trade and finance
system. That failed, so now French President Emmanuel Macron has
proposed giving Tehran a roughly $15 billion credit line, guaranteed
by Iranian oil, if the regime renews compliance with the nuclear deal.
Mr. Macron would do better to save the money and help Mr. Trump ’s
Iran efforts. Sanctions the U.S. has imposed since last year are
designed to coax Tehran to renegotiate a better deal. This has
included designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a
foreign terrorist organization and sanctions that have reduced Iranian
crude oil exports some 80%. U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian
Hook announced fresh measures against the IRGC and Iranian oil last
Wednesday."
Iraq
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Iraq Interior Ministry Busts 75-Member ISIS
Cell
“Iraq’s Falcons Intelligence Unit, an adjunct of the Interior
Ministry, declared the dismantling of one of the biggest
ISIS-affiliated terror networks. Composed of 75 members, the cell was
plotting a series of attacks in the Salaheddine province, north of
Baghdad. Security expert Fadel Abu Ragheef confirmed the take down of
the terror cell, saying that it was busted in a “qualitative
preemptive operation” that prevented the members from achieving their
attack plans. “This network had intended to carry out terrorist
operations within Salaheddine. What distinguishes this arrest is that
it is proactive and abortive in the sense that the defendants could
not carry out their terrorist plot,” he said. “The network includes 75
terrorist elements, including suicide bombers and administrative
officials,” he added. Separately, intelligence forces also raided and
bombed seven ISIS hideouts in Salaheddine. In a statement, authorities
confirmed the destruction of all equipment and assets found at the
hideouts. Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem al-Shummari underscored the
army’s preparedness to handover areas cleared from threats to Interior
Ministry taskforces.”
Reuters:
Four Killed, Including A Civilian, Across Iraq In Day Of Militant
Attacks
“At least three members of Iraq’s security forces and one civilian
were killed on Saturday in three separate attacks by militants,
security sources said. An army officer and soldier were killed when an
explosive went off inside a house they were de-mining in the Sinjar
district west of Mosul, and another soldier was injured. In Diyala
province a sniper shot dead an intelligence official in an area
northeast of provincial capital Baquba, and a civilian was killed when
a bomb went off inside his car in an area west of the city of Samara
in Salahuddin province. Islamic State has not claimed responsibility
for any of the attacks but the group is active in all three
areas. Iraq declared victory over Islamic State, which once held large
swathes of the country, in December 2017, but the hardline Sunni
militants have since switched to hit-and-run attacks aimed at
undermining the Baghdad government. They have regrouped in the Hamrin
mountain range in the northeast, which extends from Diyala, on the
border with Iran, crossing northern Salahuddin and southern Kirkuk
province, an area security officials call a “triangle of death.”
Iraqi
News: Iraqi Paramilitary Fighters Kill 4 Islamic State Terrorists In
Salahuddin
“An Iraqi paramilitary group has said that its fighters killed four
members of the Islamic State militant group in Salahuddin province. “A
force of the 6th brigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces managed to
kill four Islamic State militants during a security operation in the
Makhoul mountains, northeast of Salahuddin province,” the media center
of the Popular Mobilization Forces said in a press statement Sunday.
According to the statement, a manhunt was launched for other IS
militants in the area. Popular Mobilization Forces, an alliance of
volunteer Shia paramilitary forces, have actively backed the Iraqi
government’s military campaign against IS since 2014, when they were
formed upon a top Shia clergy edict to counter the Sunni Jihadist
group. PMF won official recognition as a national force late 2016,
becoming under the command of the prime minister, who is also the
supreme commander of the armed forces.”
Kurdistan
24: Iraqi Soldiers Killed In Bomb Defusing Incident In Nineveh:
Source
“A bomb exploded on an Iraqi armed forces unit trying to defuse
explosives in western Nineveh province, a security source said on
Saturday. The blast occurred in a house in the al-‘Adnaniya compound
in the town of al-Qahtaniya, the source told Kurdistan 24. He added
that the building had been laden with the bomb during the years of
ongoing battles between Iraqi forces and the so-called Islamic State.
The source stated that many houses in that area still contained
explosives the terrorist organization left behind, adding that there
had been casualties in the latest incident. One witness said the blast
killed at least two Iraqi soldiers. Large swaths of territory the
Islamic State once held still contain explosive ordnances. Iraq
declared victory over the terrorist organization in late 2017 but
still faces challenges in clearing areas seized by the group from
mines and explosives. It has also created issues for displaced Iraqis
who cannot return home in compromised areas due to the lack of
security. In early June, the United Nations Mine Action Service
(UNMAS) said in a statement that the presence of unexploded ordnance
and mines in areas liberated from the Islamic State in Iraq continues
to hinder the safe and voluntary return of Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs).”
Turkey
Voice
Of America: Turkey's Opposition Leader Faces 10 Years In Prison On
Terror Charges
“The leading figure from Turkey's main opposition Republican
People's Party (CHP) is facing almost 10 years in prison on terror
charges. Canan Kaftancioglu, 47, was sentenced Friday to nine years,
eight months and 20 days in prison on charges of spreading terrorist
propaganda, insulting the state, insulting the president, insulting
public officials and provoking public enmity, according to the 37th
High Criminal Court in Istanbul. She is the CHP's Istanbul provincial
branch leader and played a key role in the opposition party's victory
in the June Istanbul municipal election over the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The
charges against Kaftancioglu were raised based on several social media
posts she made over the course of several years. They included tweets
criticizing the government's crackdown on 2013 Gezi Park protests and
the killings of three Kurdish women activists affiliated with the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Paris that same year. The
opposition leader in a public appearance rejected the charges as
politically motivated by the government to target the opposition.
Kaftancioglu said she would appeal the sentence, for which she had not
yet been arrested.”
Afghanistan
The
New York Times: Trump Says He’s Called Off Negotiations With Taliban
After Afghanistan Bombing
“President Trump said on Saturday that he had canceled a secret
meeting at Camp David with Taliban leaders and the president of
Afghanistan and was calling off monthslong negotiations that had
appeared to be nearing a peace agreement. “Unbeknownst to almost
everyone,” Mr. Trump wrote in a series of tweets, Taliban leaders and
the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, were headed to the United States
on Saturday for what would have been a politically fraught meeting at
the president’s official Camp David retreat in Maryland. But Mr. Trump
said that “in order to build false leverage,” the Taliban had admitted
to a suicide car bomb attack on Thursday that had killed an American
soldier and 11 others in the capital of Kabul. “I immediately
cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations,” he wrote.
“If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace
talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably
don’t have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway,” Mr.
Trump added. “How many more decades are they willing to fight?” The
president’s announcement was startling for multiple reasons.”
The
Washington Post: Taliban Kidnaps 6 Afghan Journalists, Capping A Week
Of Deadly Militant Attacks
“Six Afghan journalists, all identified as radio news reporters,
were kidnapped by Taliban insurgents Friday while traveling to a media
conference in the eastern province of Paktia, according to provincial
officials and a Taliban spokesman. But after a week of deadly attacks
by the Taliban, including suicide bombings aimed at high-profile
targets in the capital and ground attacks in four provinces, the chief
Taliban spokesman said Saturday that the seizure of the journalists
had been a “mistake” and that they would soon be released. No direct
contact has been reported with the missing reporters, and there has
been no independent confirmation that they are alive and unharmed.
Hamid Kohestani, the news manager of Radio Killid Group, said Saturday
night he did not know whether the journalists were still in Taliban
custody. He said the station in Kabul had not been able to reach its
reporter, Khairuddin, on his cellphone. “We demand the release of our
colleagues,” he said. The insurgent spokesman, Zabiullah Muhajid, said
in an online statement that “our mujahideen have mistakenly kidnapped”
the reporters and that as soon as cellphone contact was made with
local insurgent commanders, they would be released.”
CNN:
US Still Interested In Taliban Peace Deal, Pompeo
Says
“The US is still interested in striking a peace deal with the
Taliban, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN Sunday, but won't
move forward until there is proof that the Taliban can deliver on its
commitments under a potential agreement. Pompeo was speaking to CNN's
Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” the morning after President Donald
Trump unexpectedly announced he had canceled a secret Camp David
meeting with Taliban leaders. The President said he scrapped the
meeting after the Taliban took credit for an attack in Kabul,
Afghanistan, that killed a dozen people, including an American
soldier. News of the scrapped meeting -- which was set to occur near
the 18-year anniversary of 9/11 and take place at Camp David,
traditionally a retreat where historic peace deals have been forged
and where Afghanistan war plans were drawn up -- shook Washington. “I
think as you saw, if the Taliban don't behave, if they don't deliver
... the President of the United States is not going to reduce the
pressure,” Pompeo said. He listed a number of items he said the
Taliban had, in principle, agreed to -- including sitting down with
Afghan leaders, achieving “certain reductions in violence” and
breaking with al Qaeda.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Trumping The Taliban
“President Trump on Saturday canceled talks with the Taliban, and
let’s hope for the sake of American security that it’s a long
suspension. The talks have looked increasingly like the Paris peace
talks of the Vietnam era in which the enemy negotiates a U.S.
withdrawal as it prepares for a complete military victory. Mr. Trump
tweeted that he cancelled talks sponsored by the U.S. and scheduled
for Sunday at Camp David because the Taliban killed 12 people,
including American Sergeant First Class Elis Angel Barreto Ortiz, in
an attack on Thursday. “What kind of people would kill so many in
order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?” Mr. Trump
asked. But that’s what the Taliban have been doing throughout more
than a year of negotiations. They practice terror while they talk.
They have refused to commit to more than a token cease-fire while
slaughtering civilians and the Afghan police and defense forces. The
urge to find a political solution to the long Afghan war is
understandable, and U.S. negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad knows the
players. But the details of the “agreement in principle” that Mr.
Khalilzad says he has reached with the Taliban are reason for concern.
They look more like cover for U.S. withdrawal than an agreement for
stability or peace.”
Voice
Of America: Afghan Forces Retake Taliban-Held Key District After 5
Years
“Officials in Afghanistan Saturday announced that security forces
have recaptured a key northeastern district from the Taliban after
five years, as heavy clashes raged in provinces elsewhere in
Afghanistan. The Taliban has intensified attacks even as its
representatives are engaged in a fresh round of peace negotiations
with the United States in Qatar for ending the 18-year-old Afghan war,
America’s longest overseas military intervention. The Afghan Defense
Ministry said the fighting for renewed control over Wardoj in
Badakhshan province killed about 100 Taliban insurgents, including
their key commanders. It claimed Afghan security forces “carried out
this operation successfully without sustaining any losses.” The
ministry asserted in its statement that the Taliban’s so-called shadow
governor, Qari Fasihuddin, was among the dead. Taliban spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid denied government claims, telling VOA that fighting
was still raging in the district and rejected as “enemy propaganda”
the claim that Fasihuddin had been killed. It was not possible to
verify from independent sources claims made by either side. Badakhshan
borders three neighbors of Afghanistan, including China, Pakistan and
Tajikistan.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Divided White House Prompted Trump To Call Off
Taliban Talks
“President Trump ’s decision to suspend talks with the Taliban
stemmed from opposing views within his administration, the group’s
refusal to meet certain conditions and growing bipartisan criticism of
an emerging deal to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Even after
the chief U.S. diplomat to the Afghan peace process outlined an
agreement in principle with the Taliban, the president himself turned
down opportunities to sign off on one, according to a person familiar
with the internal deliberations. Mr. Trump’s national security
adviser, John Bolton, has also consistently opposed making a deal with
the Taliban, aides said. Mr. Bolton has advised that the president can
make good on his promise to draw down troops in Afghanistan without
agreeing to one. That option, Mr. Bolton has said, gives the president
flexibility to revisit talks in the future.”
The
New York Times: Taliban Talks Hit A Wall Over Deeper Disagreements,
Officials Say
“Even as President Trump blamed a recent Taliban attack for his
decision to call off nearly yearlong negotiations with the insurgents,
officials suggested on Sunday it had more to do with the Taliban’s
resistance to the American terms for a peace deal, and a rushed plan
for a Camp David summit meeting. Talks that once seemed on the verge
of a breakthrough had hit a wall over how the deal should be finalized
and announced, they said. With the president himself showing more
engagement in the talks in recent weeks after boiling criticism of a
deal that was finalized “in principle,” the Trump administration had
set in motion a daring gambit: Fly the insurgents’ leaders and the
Afghan leader, Ashraf Ghani, to American soil.”
USA
Today: Trump Criticized For Planning Secret Camp David Meeting With
Taliban Days Before 9/11 Anniversary
“President Donald Trump is facing backlash after announcing he
planned to hold a secret meeting with the Taliban at Camp David this
weekend but canceled it over attacks overseas that left 12 dead,
including one American. Republican and Democratic leaders sharply
criticized the president over two main concerns: bringing members of
the Taliban to the U.S.—specifically to Camp David, a presidential
retreat for presidents used for administrations, and the timing of the
meeting — just days before the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The Trump administration and leaders of the Taliban, an extremist
Islamic organization that controls about half of Afghanistan, have
been in peace talks for months and closing in on a possible deal that
would remove about 5,000 American troops from five bases over the next
five months if the Taliban fulfills promises to reduce violence and
prevent Afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorists.”
Fox
News: Jim Hanson: Collapse Of Peace Talks With Taliban Makes Clear We
Should Do This In Afghanistan
“President Trump was right to halt peace negotiations with the
Taliban after the terrorist murderers claimed credit for a bombing
Thursday in Kabul that killed 12 people, including a U.S. soldier. But
I was stunned to learn that until the president’s announcement on
Twitter Saturday night, he had planned a secret meeting with Taliban
leaders and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at Camp David on Sunday. The
secret meeting was part of an effort to reach a peace agreement to end
our 18-year-old war in Afghanistan – the longest conflict in American
history. Yet I find it amazing that such a meeting was even
contemplated with the president of the United States, let alone
planned and near execution until the night before it was scheduled.
President Trump wrote in a tweet Saturday night: "Unbeknownst to
almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the
President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp
David on Sunday, They were coming to the United States tonight.
Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to an
attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11
other people. I immediately cancelled [sic] the meeting and called off
peace negotiations. What kind of people would kill so many in order to
seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?"
NBC
News: Secret Taliban Peace Talks At Camp David Floated, Scrapped
Within A Week, U.S. Officials Say
“President Donald Trump’s decision to hold a meeting in Washington
with Taliban leaders and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani to try to
solidify a peace deal to end the 18-year-long war was first discussed
about a week ago, according to U.S. officials and others briefed on
the discussion. The idea raised Sept. 1 during a Situation Room
meeting with the president was vehemently opposed by national security
adviser John Bolton, even as officials at the State Department argued
it could move the parties closer to an agreement, officials said.
Bolton had an ally in Vice President Mike Pence, who also made the
case against a meeting at Camp David, a location Trump suggested,
officials said. Bolton and Pence were in Warsaw together around the
time of the internal discussions. Using the presidential retreat in
Maryland to host the meeting was floated by Trump after he warmed to
the idea of a sit-down in Washington, the officials and people
familiar with the matter said. Bolton’s office declined to comment.
Pence’s office and a spokesperson for the president did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.”
Pakistan
Voice
Of America: India Says Suspected Militants Trying To Infiltrate
Kashmir
“India’s top national security adviser said Saturday that a large
number of suspected militants are trying to infiltrate Kashmir and
accused Pakistan of trying to foment trouble in the region. “About 230
terrorists are ready to infiltrate into different parts of Kashmir,”
Ajit Doval, national security adviser to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
told reporters. “A large number of weapons are being smuggled and
people in Kashmir are being told to create trouble.” Military
officials said the information was based on radio intercepts and
ground intelligence. India has long accused Pakistan of supporting and
training militants to foment a separatist insurgency in Kashmir,
charges Islamabad denies. A month after India brought its only
Muslim-majority territory under its direct control, scrapped its
semi-autonomous status and deployed thousands of troops to prevent
violent protests, residents in Kashmir continue to face curbs on
travel and communications restrictions. Although most landlines are
functioning, the internet and mobile phone services have still not
been restored. “We would like to see all restrictions go, but it
depends on how Pakistan behaves,” Doval said.”
Yemen
Xinhuanet:
Yemen's Houthis Claim Fresh Drone Attack On Saudi Military
Target
“Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed they had launched an attack on a
"military target" in Saudi Khamis Mushait city on Saturday night,
using multiple bomb-laden drones, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
They said the attack came "in reaction to the Saudi-led coalition
airstrikes and blockade." However, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted
and destroyed a drone in the Yemeni air space launched by the Houthi
militias from northern Yemen on Saturday night. "The attempts to
launch drones by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias violate the
international law," Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported, citing
a statement from the Saudi-led coalition. Houthis have recently
stepped up cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, but
most of the attacks were intercepted by Saudi air defense forces.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition against
Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen for more than four years in support of
the internationally-recognized government of Yemeni President
Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Human Rights Body Accuses Houthis Of Committing 636
Violations In 1 Week
“A human rights report has said that Houthis committed 636 rights
violations in Yemen's militia-run areas in a single week. In its
report, the Yemeni Network for Human Rights and Freedoms said the
violations were committed between August 25 and September 2. It cited
extrajudicial killings, armed robbery and burning of houses, in
addition to violations against health facilities, undermining state
authority and recruiting fighters in return for food staples. The
report accused militias of transferring weapons to mosques and
populated neighborhoods in central Sanaa and forcing 50 citizens in
Amran governorate, north of Sanaa, to recruit their children in return
for food baskets granted by relief organizations. “Our field team has
monitored Houthi militias transferring their heavy and medium weapons
to densely populated neighborhoods as well as mosques,” the rights
body noted.”
Saudi Arabia
Gulf
News: Riyadh: Qatar Boycott Result Of 20 Years Of
Plots
“Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Qatar had been working against
the kingdom covertly and publicly since 1995, and severing ties with
Doha was Riyadh’s sovereign right under international law. It added
that the move was meant to protect its security from terrorist
threats, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The Quartet – Saudi
Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt – have imposed a diplomatic, trade
and travel boycott of Qatar since June 2017. In March 2014, Saudi
Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain had withdrawn their ambassadors to Doha
for its support of the Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist groups.
The ambassadors returned in November 2014 after Qatari authorities
singed another agreement. GCC countries have continuously urged Doha
to abide by the agreements it made in Riyadh in 2013 and 2014, but it
failed to do so. Despite the boycott, Saudi Arabia has continued its
support for the Qatari people, and has taken steps to help both Saudi
and Qatari families that have been impacted by the decision to sever
ties with Doha. A committee has been formed by the Saudi Ministry of
Interior to deal with humanitarian cases of these Saudi-Qatari
families, and a hotline has been set up so that people can report such
cases. The Ministry has announced telephone numbers for receiving and
processing reports of such cases. Qataris are also allowed to enter
the Kingdom for the purpose of performing Haj and Umrah.”
Lebanon
The
Washington Post: Hezbollah Downs Israeli Drone In Ongoing Tension
Between Iranian-Backed Groups And Jerusalem
“Hezbollah announced Monday it had downed an Israeli drone in
southern Lebanon, part of a string of clashes between Israel and
Iranian-banked groups throughout the region. The Israeli army also
said early Monday that Iran’s elite Quds Force oversaw the firing of
several rockets from Syria toward Israel, none of which managed to
reach their target. The rocket attacks follow reports from Syrian
opposition activists that several Iranians and allied militias were
killed by airstrikes in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border. It was
not immediately clear who had carried out these strikes, although
Israel has launched a significant number of attacks on Iranian targets
in Syria throughout the country’s civil war. In recent weeks, Israel
has struck targets in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon to stop Iran from
distributing sophisticated weapons within striking distance of its
borders.”
Middle East
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Israel Blames Islamic Jihad Drone For Border
Tensions
“Tension in the border area with the Gaza Strip was caused by a
drone operation carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an
Israeli army spokesman said on Sunday. Members of the group had
planted an explosive device near the border fence with the Strip
overnight, he said. They fired the drone in the morning and remotely
detonated the device when a military vehicle was passing by the area.
The vehicle was damaged, he revealed, but denied there were casualties
among the soldiers. The use of drones has raised concerns that
Palestinian groups were developing their capabilities, he remarked.
This prompted a stronger response from Israel, which struck Hamas and
Jihad targets. According to a military source, this was the third such
drone attack. Security and intelligence affairs analyst Yossi Melman,
wrote in the Maarib newspaper: “Two previous strikes by drones had
been launched from the Gaza Strip in recent weeks.” They dropped a
grenade and an RPG. Several evidence shows that the Iran-backed group
is plotting significant bombings against Israel ahead of its September
17 elections, said Israeli intelligence sources.”
The
Jerusalem Post: Father And Son Stabbed In West Bank Terror
Attack
“60-year-old man and his son, 17, were stabbed during a trip to the
dentist in the Palestinian village of Azun on Saturday after it was
known that they were Jews. The father, Yosef Peretz, was lightly
injured in the arm, and his son was moderately injured with stab
wounds in his back by a 15-year-old Palestinian boy. “We came to the
dentist. When we left, [the attacker] asked us: ‘Are you Jews or
Arabs?’ We answered ‘Jews.’ And I looked at his hand and saw the
pocket knife,” Peretz told Channel 12. He spoke with reporters in Meir
Medical Center in Kfar Saba, where he and his son were treated. “For a
year now, I have been coming to this dentist for treatment and
everything was fine. I never thought something like this would happen.
The dentist helped us, he jumped on him and held him against the wall
and hit him while we escaped,” said Peretz, a resident of Ofakim. The
father’s brother, who was also at the scene but wasn’t injured, told
Ynet that “a 15-year-old boy approached us and asked me in Arabic if
we were Jewish. I said, ‘No, we are Arabs.’ Then, he stabbed the
father and the son, and the dentist came out to help and got us out of
there.” The IDF said troops from the Ephraim Regional Division
evacuated the two victims from Azun after they provided first aid to
them.”
Egypt
The
Washington Post: Egypt Court Sentences 11 Islamists To Life For Prison
Breaks
“An Egyptian court on Saturday sentenced 11 people to life in
prison — including the head of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood,
Mohammed Badie — after a retrial on charges related to mass prison
breaks at the height of the 2011 popular uprising. The retrial was
related to a case rooted in the escape of 20,000 inmates from Egyptian
prisons in Jan. 2011, early in the 18-day uprising that toppled
longtime autocratic President Hosni Mubarak, who testified in the case
in December. The verdict cannot be appealed. The Cairo criminal court
also sentenced eight others to 15 years in prison on the same charges,
which include orchestrating prison breaks and undermining national
security by conspiring with foreign groups: the Palestinian militant
group Hamas and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. This is the latest
of several life sentences for Badie. He’s also been sentenced to death
in separate trials held after his arrest in 2013 following the
military ouster of Egypt’s first democratically elected president, the
late Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood leader, amid nationwide protests
against his one-year rule. Several mass trials of Islamists that
yielded dozens of death sentences have been held in Egypt since
Morsi’s ouster.”
Nigeria
The
Punch Nigeria: Troops Kill Several Boko Haram Fighters, Recover Six
AK-47 Rifles
“Troops of the Nigerian Army have engaged the Boko Haram fighters,
killing scores of them in Gworege community in the Dikwa Local
Government Area of Borno State. The troops of the 22 Brigade at the
Super Camp in Dikwa fought the terrorists in conjunction with the
Civilian Joint Task Force members, recovering six AK-47 rifles and 66
7.62mm ammunition. The army said in a release on Sunday that a hunter
was injured during the encounter, several terrorists shot dead while
“others escaped with various degrees of injuries.” The acting
Director, Army Public Relations, Col Sagir Musa, said, “Following
credible information from the locals about the presence of terrorists
at Gworege village in the Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State,
troops of 22 Brigade conducted a raid and clearance operation in
Gworege community. “The terrorists engaged the troops in a firefight
but (they) had to flee as a result of superior firepower.
Consequently, troops searched the village and recovered the following;
six AK-47 rifles and 66 7.62 ammunition. No soldier was killed or
missing in action. “Many terrorists met their waterloo during the
encounter, while others escaped with various degrees of injuries.”
Sahara
Reporters: Boko Haram Kills Soldier, Injures Three Others In Borno
Ambush
“Boko Haram insurgents on Friday killed one soldier and injured
three others in an ambush on a military convoy in Kamuya Village,
Borno State, according to AFP. A vigilante official, Mustapha Karimbe,
who confirmed the attack, said, “The convoy came under fire from the
terrorists near Kamuya at around 11:30am, killing one soldier and
injuring three others. “A military pickup truck was burnt in the
attack.” Kamuya has been repeatedly hit by jihadists since 2015 when
Tukur Buratai was appointed as Chief of Army Staff. In January this
year, six soldiers were killed and 14 injured when insurgents sacked a
base in Kamuya, stealing weapons and burning military vehicles.”
Africa
Deutsche
Welle: Burkina Faso: Twin 'Terrorist Attacks' Leave Dozens
Dead
“At least 29 people were killed in Burkina Faso on Sunday after two
separate attacks targeted a food convoy and a transport truck. “This
drama comes as important security efforts are underway in this
region,” a government spokesperson said. ”Military reinforcements have
been deployed.” The food convoy was explicitly targeted in a
“terrorist attack” which killed 14 civilians, according to the
government statement. The truck is said to have hit an Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) killing 15 people and wounding six others. Both
attacks took place in the in Sanmatenga province in the north of the
country. According to local sources most of those in the food truck
convoy were traders driving three-wheeler vans carrying provisions for
people displaced by fighting. Regional heads of state are due to
meet in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou on Saturday to discuss
the security situation. The former French colony and one of the
world's poorest nations has been struggling to suppress an Islamist
insurgency since 2015 and the security situation has been worsening. A
revolt began in the north of the country whenjihadist groups from
neighboring Mali spilled over the porous border.”
DW:
Burkina Faso: Twin 'Terrorist Attacks' Leave Dozens
Dead
“At least 29 people were killed in Burkina Faso on Sunday after two
separate attacks targeted a food convoy and a transport truck. "This
drama comes as important security efforts are underway in this
region," a government spokesperson said. "Military reinforcements have
been deployed." The food convoy was explicitly targeted in a
"terrorist attack" which killed 14 civilians, according to the
government statement. The truck is said to have hit an Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) killing 15 people and wounding six others. Both
attacks took place in the in Sanmatenga province in the north of the
country. According to local sources most of those in the food truck
convoy were traders driving three-wheeler vans carrying provisions for
people displaced by fighting. Regional heads of state are due to meet
in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou on Saturday to discuss the
security situation.”
United Kingdom
The
Independent: Man Arrested Under Terrorism Act After Bomb Found On
Irish Border
“Police in Northern Ireland have confirmed that a bomb was found
following a security alert near the Irish border on Saturday morning.
The improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered in Strabane, Co
Tyrone after being first spotted by local residents. During the alert
people who lived in the highly residential and built-up Church View
area were evacuated from their homes as Army bomb experts
investigated. A man was arrested under the Terrorism Act in the early
hours of Sunday morning. The security alert stretched into the night
as officers and military personnel worked to find munitions, forcing
pensioners to evacuate their homes for their own safety. Local Sinn
Fein MP Orfhlaith Begley said: “This security alert in the Church View
area of Strabane has brought nothing but disruption to the local
community. “People have had to leave their homes as a result of this
security alert and have been severely inconvenienced. “Those behind
this alert have nothing to offer the people of Strabane and have no
support.” These actions need to end immediately.” SDLP West Tyrone MLA
Daniel McCrossan branded the alert a disgrace as it happened on
Saturday - adding that residents were “being absolutley tortured” by
bomb threats.”
The
National: Extremist Who Threatened Muslims With Home-Made Stun Gun
Jailed
“A right-wing extremist who built a home-made stun gun to attack
British Muslims has been jailed after he confessed his murderous plans
to police. Darren Dale, 41, had been flagged as a threat because of
his extremist views and made racist threats when officers came to
check up on him. Dale, from Blackpool in northwest England, also told
officers about his violent plans to attack and kill Muslims. He said
that he had watched YouTube videos to learn how to make home-made
bombs and had built an arsenal of weapons. Dale showed them the
weapons, which included a metal bar cut from a dumbbell and two stun
guns, including one that he said he made himself. He boasted that the
stun gun was as powerful as a police-issue device, which delivers a
powerful electric shock, and just needed a battery for it to work. The
devices are used by Britain’s largely unarmed police service to
incapacitate violent or armed criminals. Police returned to Dale’s
home with a search warrant the same day and discovered a black plastic
block with wires sticking out. Dale was jailed for three years and
four months on Friday after admitting to charges of attempted
possession of a prohibited weapon and making threats to kill.”
Germany
Deutsche
Welle: Germany: Merkel Party Colleagues Elect Far-Right Extremist To
Local Council
“Prominent members of Germany's mainstream centrist
parties expressed their shock and disgust on Saturday after it emerged
that their representatives had elected a member of the far-right
National Democratic Party (NPD) as a municipal administrator. The
NPD's Stefan Jagsch was unanimously elected to the position in the
village of Altenstadt-Waldsiedlung, in Hesse, central Germany, on
Thursday by seven council members who included representatives of
Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the center-left
Social Democrats (SPD), and the pro-business Free Democratic Party
(FDP). “Intolerable and completely unacceptable!” tweeted SPD deputy
leader Ralf Stegner as the news was confirmed on Saturday. “This is
completely incompatible with the basic values of the SPD! This damages
the reputation of social democracy!” According to regional public
broadcaster hr, Altenstadt's SPD leader Markus Brando said those at
the meeting had been forced to elect Jagsch because there were no
alternative candidates. He said he had called a special party meeting
to find an explanation. In a joint statement, two CDU leaders
in Hesse declared their “shock and absolute lack of understanding” at
Jagsch's election.”
Fox
News: Elizabeth Pipko: Anniversary Of Munich Massacre Reminds Us Of
Need To Fight Anti-Semitism And Terrorism
“This week marks 47 years since the Munich massacre – the appalling
murder of 11 Israeli Olympic team members by the Palestinian terrorist
group Black September at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, West Germany.
Before the massacre, members of the Israeli Olympic delegation openly
discussed their concerns about the lack of security assigned to them.
Tragically, their concerns were mostly ignored. During the early
morning hours of Sept. 5, the members of Black September used stolen
keys to break into the apartment where the Israeli team was staying.
They had been scoping out the apartment and surrounding areas for
weeks preparing for their attack. Two Israelis were murdered during
the initial stage of the attack, and the remaining nine were taken
hostage and later murdered during a failed rescue mission.”
Europe
The
Washington Post: Italy Police Detains 10 For Alleged Terrorism
Financing
“Italian police have detained 10 people in the central Abruzzo
region for alleged tax crimes and money laundering aimed at financing
Islamic extremist groups. Investigators said at a news conference
Saturday that the eight Tunisians and two Italians are suspected of
financing with “enormous sums of money” activities linked to the
radical Islamic organization Al-Nusra. According to prosecutors, the
people detained, including the imam of the Dar Assalam mosque close to
the city of Teramo, and an Italian accountant, used the money obtained
through tax evasion to finance militant groups in Syria and some
radical imams based in Italy. Authorities say all 10 people detained
are under investigation for alleged money laundering with terrorism
purposes.”
Huff
Post: Far-Right Terror Attacks Possible ‘In Coming Year,’ Norway
Security Agency Warns
“Norway’s domestic security agency warned Friday about the
possibility of a terror attack from right-wing extremists “in the
coming year.” In a statement, the PST agency said it “now considers it
possible that Norwegian right-wing extremists will try to carry out
terrorist acts in the coming year.” The agency said its heightened
assessment stemmed from the fact that several Norwegian right-wing
extremists have recently expressed support for perpetrators behind
attacks in New Zealand, the United States and the failed attack in the
Norwegian capital Oslo last month. On Aug. 10, Philip Manshaus stormed
an Oslo mosque with guns appeared before being overpowered. Several
shots were fired and one person was slightly injured, but the suspect
was held down by others in the mosque. The suspect has also been tied
to the slaying of his stepsister. Manshaus is believed to have been
inspired by attacks this year in New Zealand and the U.S. — a mass
shooter killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15
while a gunman left at least 22 dead in El Paso, Texas, on Aug. 3. The
agency said “meeting places for Muslims and non-Western immigrants,”
political parties or persons, Jews and LGBT communities are “symbolic
targets.”
The
Brussels Times: Four People In Kosovo Convicted For Planning Terrorist
Attacks, Including In Belgium
“Four Kosovan Islamists were sentenced on Wednesday to prison for
planning terrorist attacks against NATO soldiers and orthodox churches
in Kosovo. They were also planning to target non-disclosed locations
in Belgium and France. Three men and one woman, two of whom are
Belgian nationals, have been convicted for having connections to IS.
They have been handed sentences of 12 months to 10 years in prison,
according to a press release issued by the Pristina tribunal. Back in
October, they were charged with planning terrorist attacks against
NATO soldiers in Kosovo, four orthodox Serbian churches and two
nightclubs in the Serbian enclave of Gracanica. The weapons of choice
were explosives and suicide bombers. They were also accused of
planning to hit targets in France and Belgium. The vast majority of
the 1.8 million people who live in Kosovo are Albanian Muslims. Around
120,000 Serbians (orthodox Christians) live in the divided town of
Mitrovica (north) and in a dozen or so enclaves. Prosecutors said
plans for the attacks on the churches had advanced the furthest, but
they were fortunately “prevented by the arrests.” The leader of the
group, 26-year-old Belgian national Bujar Behrami, was arrested in
September.”
Southeast Asia
Reuters:
Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Market Blast In
Philippines
“The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for an
explosion at a public market in the southern Philippines that wounded
at least seven people early on Saturday. The group issued a statement
late on Saturday saying the motorcycle bombing had wounded seven
Filipino Christians at a public market. It was the fourth blast in
the area in 13 months, according to the Philippine military, which
said a militant group operating in the mostly Christian city of Isulan
in the province of Sultan Kudarat was among the suspects. The latest
blast comes at a time of heightened tensions in the volatile southern
Philippines after three incidents in the past year authorities said
were suicide bombings by militants linked to the Islamic State. Video
footage showed Saturday’s blast occurred in a parking space for
motorcycles. A suspected improvised explosive device was placed beside
a parked motorcycle, Major Arvin Encinas, a regional military
spokesman, told reporters. In April, a bombing by suspected members
of a pro-IS militant group injured at least 18 people in a restaurant
in Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao region.”
Technology
The
Guardian: Australian Internet Providers Told To Block Websites Hosting
Christchurch Terror Video
“Australian internet service providers have been ordered to block
eight websites hosting video of the Christchurch terrorist attacks. In
March, shortly after the Christchurch massacre, Australian
telecommunications companies and internet providers began proactively
blocking websites hosting the video of the Christchurch shooter
murdering more than 50 people or the shooter’s manifesto. A total of
43 websites based on a list provided by Vodafone New Zealand were
blocked. The government praised the internet providers despite the
action being in a legally grey area by blocking the sites from access
in Australia for people not using virtual private networks (VPNs) or
other workarounds. To avoid legal complications the prime minister,
Scott Morrison, asked the e-safety commissioner and the internet
providers to develop a protocol for the e-safety commissioner to order
the websites to block access to the offending sites. The order issued
on Sunday covers just eight websites, after several stopped hosting
the material, or ceased operating, such as 8chan. The order means the
e-safety commissioner will be responsible for monitoring the sites. If
they remove the material they can be unblocked. The blocks will be
reviewed every six months.”
The
New York Times: How Each Big Tech Company May Be Targeted By
Regulators
“Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have been the envy of corporate
America, admired for their size, influence and remarkable growth. Now
that success is attracting a different kind of spotlight. In
Washington, Brussels and beyond, regulators and lawmakers are
investigating whether the four technology companies have used their
size and wealth to quash competition and expand their dominance. The
four firms are lumped together so often that they have become known as
Big Tech. Their business models differ, as do the antitrust arguments
against them. But those grievances have one thing in common: fear that
too much power is in the hands of too few companies. The attorney
general of New York, Letitia James, said Friday that the attorneys
general in eight states — she and three other Democrats, plus four
Republicans — and the District of Columbia had begun an antitrust
investigation of Facebook.”
POLITICO:
Senator 'Deeply Disappointed' Zuckerberg Declined To Testify On
Extremism
“The Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee said he's
"deeply disappointed" that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg declined to
take part in an upcoming hearing on violent and extremist content
online and urged him to reconsider, according to a letter obtained by
POLITICO. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), in the Sept. 4 letter, pressed
Zuckerberg to “personally participate” in the hearing. “As a dominant
social networking platform, Facebook has a significant role in the
communications marketplace,” Wicker wrote. “Your direct engagement as
the chief executive officer of Facebook on this issue will be
invaluable to our efforts to protect communities and enhance public
safety.” The senator indicated that he and Zuckerberg spoke previously
about what Facebook is doing to remove extremist content. Facebook
couldn't immediately be reached for comment. The Senate Commerce
Committee didn't immediately respond to a request for more information
on the letter and whether Wicker has pressed other tech company
executives to participate.”
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