Eye on Extremism
September 10, 2019
The
New York Times: Trump Declares Afghan Peace Talks With Taliban
‘Dead’
“President Trump declared on Monday that peace talks with the
Taliban were “dead,” but signaled that he would still withdraw United
States troops from America’s longest war, following the collapse this
weekend of a monthslong effort to ease violence in Afghanistan.
Expressing impatience with the continued burden of keeping 14,000
troops in Afghanistan, the president said it was not the American
military’s role to secure the world. “Our soldiers are incredible, but
they are serving as policemen, to a large extent,” Mr. Trump said. “We
would like to get out, but we will get out at the right time.” A plan
to send home as many as 5,400 American forces by early next year —
just as Mr. Trump revs up his re-election campaign — was at the heart
of the negotiations that also sought to secure a cease-fire in Kabul.
The Afghan capital has been rocked by bloody attacks over the last
several weeks, and violence is expected to escalate amid the political
uncertainty. Mr. Trump has long promised to end American involvement
in the war, and said on Monday that the Afghan government “will have
to take responsibility” for its own security “at the earliest possible
time.”
The
Guardian: Airstrikes Kill 18 Pro-Iran Fighters In Eastern
Syria
“Unclaimed airstrikes in eastern Syria have killed 18 Iranian and
pro-Iran fighters, according to a war monitoring group, as tensions
around Tehran’s military presence in the region intensify. The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes in
and around the town of Abu Kamal began late on Sunday and continued
after midnight, targeting bases, arms depots and vehicles. Suspicion
is likely to fall on Israel, which has conducted hundreds of bombing
raids in the country, often against Iranian military assets and
personnel. It accuses Tehran of using Syria, which neighbours Israel,
as a base to attack it. The Israel Defence Forces did not comment on
whether it was behind the attack. Later on Monday the Israeli military
said an Iranian-backed Shia militia on the outskirts of the Syrian
capital, Damascus, had fired “a number of rockets” towards Israel. All
failed to hit Israeli territory, it said. It was not clear if the
attempted rocket attacks against Israel were a response to the bombing
raid. Separately, Iran’s main proxy force in Lebanon, Hezbollah,
claimed it had shot down an Israeli drone that crossed the border, a
week after the bitter enemies traded fire for the first time in
years.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Iran’s Other Terror Front
“Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, is playing a long game in
Yemen and few in the world seem to have noticed. With Iran’s
patronage, the Houthis—a Shiite political movement—carried out a coup
in 2014, plunging the country into chaos. Iran’s support elevated the
Shia Houthis from a tribal militia to a lethal fighting force. Now,
the Iranian regime wants a seat at the negotiating table to help
resolve a war it helped instigate. Whatever the ultimate outcome in
Yemen, Iran has successfully expanded its threat network and
positioned itself as a power broker in the Arabian peninsula. Tehran
has been using this playbook for decades. In the early 1980s, Iran
began supporting various Shia extremist groups in Lebanon. The Iranian
regime systematically scaled up its assistance and assembled the most
violent factions into a cohesive military organization, which
eventually called itself Hezbollah. During the 1990s, Iran cemented
its influence in Lebanon through Hezbollah. The Iranian regime
provides the militant group with 70% of its operating budget,
precision rockets and small arms, and a steady stream of military
experts.”
The
Washington Post: Syria’s Raqqa Still Finding The Dead, 2 Years After
IS Fall
“The neighbors reported a foul smell coming from the house next
door. The house, which the Islamic State group had used as a school
for its “cubs,” had been untouched ever since the militants were
chased out of the Syrian city two years ago. Weeds grew around an
abandoned car in its courtyard. Even before the first responders felt
the soft ground of the courtyard, they knew what was underneath: the
latest mass grave in Raqqa, the former capital of the Islamic State
group’s self-declared “caliphate.” On the first day of digging, they
pulled out two bodies. Within a few days, that was up to nearly 20,
including women and children, who had been stacked up in holes in the
courtyard garden. The discovery, seen by Associated Press journalists
over the weekend, was the 16th mass grave found in Raqqa since IS
militants were driven out in the summer of 2017. Even as Raqqa’s
people gradually rebuild, the graves found in houses, parks, destroyed
buildings are a grim reminder of the horrors perpetrated by the
militants and the massive violence inflicted on the city to remove
them. During their rule, the extremists carried out mass killings,
public beheadings and other atrocities.”
The
New York Times: Turkey, Long A Haven For Syrian Refugees, Is Sending
Them Home
“Turkey, which for eight years has welcomed millions of Syrian
refugees, has reversed course, forcing thousands to leave its major
cities in recent weeks and ferrying many of them to its border with
Syria in white buses and police vans. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
is pushing a radical solution — resettling refugees in a swath of
Syrian territory controlled by the United States and its Kurdish
allies. If that does not happen, he is threatening to send a flood of
Syrian migrants to Europe. Mr. Erdogan has long demanded a buffer zone
along Turkey’s border with Syria to keep out Kurdish forces, whom he
considers a security threat. But he has repackaged the idea for the
zone as a refuge for Syrians fleeing the war — acting as resentment
against Syrians in Turkey has increased, and a Syrian and Russian
offensive in Syria has sent hundreds of thousands more refugees
fleeing toward the Turkish border.”
USA
Today: 18 Years After 9/11: Terrorism Needs To Be Prevented At The
Source
“On Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida terrorists killed nearly 3,000
Americans. Eighteen years later, we remain deeply concerned about the
threat of another large scale terrorist attack. We are concerned
because terrorist violence continues to grow and spread. The Middle
East and Sahel regions are the epicenter of extremist violence.
Islamist militants there command more fighters, are active in more
countries and control more territory than they did before the 9/11
attacks. Violent extremism’s spread, even in distant countries,
creates incubators for future attacks, putting us all at risk. We
recognize and honor the dedication, sacrifice and tireless efforts of
American military and civilian personnel. They have destroyed
terrorist networks on the battlefield and thwarted their plots. Over
15,000 Americans paid with their lives, and more than 50,000 have been
injured. Yet, the Islamic State’s resurgence this year in parts of
Iraq and Syria is a stark reminder that the underlying conditions that
fomented these groups remain in place. Over a decade and a half ago,
as chairs of the 9/11 Commission, we called for a comprehensive
strategy to prevent new generations of terrorists, in addition to
safeguarding the homeland and defeating terrorist groups.”
United States
CNN:
Fugitive Couple Facing Murder Charges May Be Getting Help From White
Supremacists, Authorities Say
“One of the people accused of killing a 72-year-old man and
overpowering two security officers to escape custody has been added to
the US Marshals Service's list of the 15 most wanted fugitives. Blane
Barksdale, 56, along with his wife, Susan Barksdale, 59, may be
getting help from white supremacists, US Marshal for the district of
Arizona David Gonzales said Monday. The couple escaped custody in late
August as they were being extradited to face charges of arson,
burglary and murder in connection with the death of Frank Bligh, a
Vietnam veteran killed in April in Tucson, Arizona. The two had used a
medical emergency to get the guards to pull over to the side of the
road, and then overpowered them and threw them in the back of the van,
Gonzales said last month. "Somebody like Blane in prison -- with both
local -- with both state and federal prison, would be associated with
Aryan Brotherhoods, white supremacist gangs. So those are the type of
individuals we think that might be assisting," Gonzales said at a news
conference Monday.”
Syria
VOA:
Report: Over 120 Churches Damaged By War In Syria Since
2011
“A Syrian war monitor associated with the opposition said Monday
that over 120 Christian places of worship have been damaged or
destroyed by all sides in the country's eight-year conflict. Some of
the attacks were deliberate, such as the Islamic State group using
bulldozers to destroy the ancient Saint Elian Monastery in Homs
province in 2015. The majority, however, were caused by front-line
combat, shelling or rockets. Christians made up about 10 percent of
Syria's pre-war population of 23 million, who co-existed with the
Muslim majority and enjoyed freedom of worship under President Bashar
Assad's government. Most have left for Europe over the past 20 years,
with their flight significantly gathering speed since the start of the
current conflict. Around half of all Syrians are now either internally
displaced or have left the country.”
Iran
Associated
Press: UN Atomic Watchdog 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 slowly 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
New York Times: Israeli Leader Says Iran Hid A Nuclear Weapons
Site
“Israel accused Iran on Monday of having harbored an undisclosed
nuclear-weapons site that the Iranians destroyed a few months ago for
fear of exposure. Iran ridiculed the accusation. Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel displayed satellite photographs that he
said showed the site, and he called upon other countries to join the
United States in maintaining pressure on Tehran. Mr. Netanyahu told
reporters in Jerusalem that Israel had first learned of the site, in
the central Iranian city of Abadeh, in early 2018 when Israeli spies
stole what he has previously described as a huge trove of the archives
of Iran’s nuclear program. When the Iranians learned that Israel was
aware of the site, he said, “they simply destroyed it, just eliminated
everything.”
BBC:
Iran's 'Blue Girl' Dies After Setting Herself On Fire
“An Iranian female football fan who set herself on fire a week ago
has died. The woman set herself alight in Tehran after her trial, for
attempting to enter a football stadium disguised as a man, was
postponed. The authorities in Iran regularly stop women from entering
stadiums. Her story has been followed closely by Iranians around the
world who used the hashtag "blue girl" - a reference to the colours of
her favourite team, Esteqlal of Tehran. The woman, referred to as
Sahar, which is not her real name, was arrested in March when she
tried to enter a football stadium. After being jailed for three days
she was released on bail and waited six months for her court case. But
when she appeared at court she found out it had been postponed because
the judge had a family emergency. She later returned to court to pick
up her mobile phone and it is widely reported that she is thought to
have overheard someone saying that if she were convicted she could get
six months to two years in prison.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Pressure Is Weighing Heavily On
Iran
“You think you have trouble at work? It could be worse. You could
be the government official in charge of Iran’s budget. It is becoming
increasingly clear just how effectively the Trump administration’s
campaign of economic sanctions is shredding the Iranian government’s
balance sheet and damaging the underlying economy. You may agree or
disagree with the strategy, and where it is taking things is unclear,
but its impact is no longer in doubt. While precise figures are
elusive because some black-market trading persists, Iranian oil
exports likely have been reduced to about 200,000 barrels a day, and
actually were lower than that at some points this summer. That’s down
from roughly 2.5 million barrels a day when President Trump announced
in May 2018 that the U.S. was withdrawing from the nuclear deal
President Barack Obama and other world leaders negotiated with Iran,
and began imposing new sanctions to stop companies and countries from
buying Iranian oil.”
Iraq
The
Washington Post: Here’s How Airstrikes Targeting Iran-Backed
Paramilitary Groups In Iraq Threaten Post-ISIS
Stability
“Last month’s airstrikes targeting Iran-backed paramilitary groups
in Iraq threaten to bring the country back into conflict shortly after
the fight against the Islamic State. The coalition of paramilitary
groups called al-Hashd al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilization Forces
(PMF), blamed Americans and Israelis for the attacks, which targeted
its weapons depots. Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the de facto leader of the
PMF, threatened retaliation in coordination with the Iraqi government.
The Iraqi government, however, did not support his response and stated
that he did not speak on its behalf. According to our research as part
of a newly released Chatham House report, Iraq’s post-Islamic State
stability has been based on an understanding between the PMF and the
government, or between the de facto and formal leadership. Here’s what
a dispute between them could mean for the country. After the Islamic
State — also known as ISIS — swiftly captured the Iraqi city of Mosul,
then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki brought together seven
paramilitary groups in June 2014 to form the PMF and defend Iraq. The
PMF has since expanded to include about 50 groups. At the time, Iraqi
Shiites, in particular, enlisted in the PMF instead of the formal
state armed forces, which had crumbled to a few thousand salafi-jihadi
fighters.”
ABC
News: Exclusive: Military Leaders Tell David Muir There Is An 'ISIS
Insurgency' In Iraq, Warn Of Breeding Ground Across Syria
Border
“It is a familiar battlefield, but a different enemy for American
troops in Iraq. Nearly 16 years since the United States went
into Iraq to eliminate Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass
destruction, “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir got exclusive
access with American troops now fighting an enemy intent on
resurging: ISIS. Mere months after losing their territorial
holdacross Syria and Iraq -- and after President Donald Trump declared
ISIS had been “defeated” -- the reality on the ground paints a still
grim picture of recalcitrant ISIS fighters forming an enduring
insurgency. “We have seen, since the collapse of the caliphate, that
ISIS has repositioned a lot of its capabilities,” U.S. Air Force Maj.
Gen. Alex Grynkewich told Muir. “They're trying to garner resources,
extort the population, do low level attacks. There's certainly an
insurgency going on, on the ground right now,” said Grynkewich, the
deputy commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, the joint coalition
fighting ISIS on the ground. Muir traveled deep into the Anbar desert,
just 50 miles from the Syrian border, with American and Iraqi forces
during an operation to take out ISIS fighters.”
Iraqi
News: Iraqi Intelligence Kill Islamic State Militant In Mosul; Another
Arrested
“An Islamic State militant was killed Monday when army forces
stormed a terrorist hotbed in the Iraqi city of Mosul, the Military
Intelligence Directorate said. “Military intelligence forces stormed a
terrorist hotbed at the Nineveh island, west of Mosul city, leaving an
Islamic State terrorist dead,” Alsumaria News quoted the directorate
as saying. The troops destroyed the hideout and all its contents, the
statement read. Meanwhile, the directorate said that its forces
arrested another Islamic State member in Ramadi city. The militant,
according to the statement, “was responsible for booby trapping
vehicles in order to be used later in terrorist attacks by the Islamic
State group.” The Islamic State group appeared on the international
scene in 2014 when it seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and
Syria, declaring the establishment of an Islamic “caliphate” from
Mosul city. Later on, the group has become notorious for its
brutality, including mass killings, abductions and beheadings,
prompting the U.S. to lead an international coalition to destroy it.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 with the
help of a US-led alliance, having retaken all the territory captured
by the extremists in 2014 and 2015.”
Iraqi
News: Iraqi Troops Kill 15 Islamic State Jihadists In
Salahuddin
“Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service announced on Monday that 15
Islamic Sate militants were killed during a security operation in
Salahuddin province. “Acting on intelligence information, the
Counter-Terrorism Service, in coordination with the U.S.-led
international coalition, carried out a security operation in
Mutaibijah and desert areas in Salahuddin, leaving 15 terrorists dead,
including suicide bombers,” the spokesman for the Counter-Terrorism
Service said in a statement. “The troops also arrested nine terrorists
and destroyed several hotbeds and tunnels that were used by Islamic
State militants,” the statement read. Iraq declared the collapse of
Islamic State’s territorial influence in November 2017 with the
recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which
was the group’s last bastion in Iraq. IS declared a self-styled
“caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014. A
government campaign, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition and
paramilitary forces, was launched in 2016 to retake IS-held regions,
managing to retake all havens, most notably the city of Mosul, the
group’s previously proclaimed capital.”
Haaretz:
Report: 21 Iraqi Militia Members Killed In Explosion In Iran-Linked
Arms Depot
“Twenty-one Iraqi militia members were killed in the explosion of a
weapons warehouse belonging to Iran-affiliated militias in Iraq's
Anbar province, Iraqi military sources told Arab media outlets
Tuesday. Saudi-affiliated sites, including Al Arabiya and Sky News,
reported the explosion and said that rescue teams were called to the
scene. An Iraqi officer told local media that the sound of an
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) was heard in the region before the
blast. At the moment it is unclear who is behind the blast however
reports have linked the explosion to a recent series of attacks in the
country, some of which has been attributed to Israel. Syrian outlets
have not reported on the incident and officials have so far denied the
explosion. The explosion comes one day after UAVs struck Iran-backed
militias in eastern Syria, killing at least 18 militia fighters. A
Syrian security official said Israeli jets staged the airstrikes, but
denied there were any casualties."
Turkey
Reuters:
Turkey Says Washington Is Stalling On Syria 'Safe
Zone'
“Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that
Washington is stalling in its agreement to create a “safe zone” in
northeast Syria, and repeated that Ankara was ready to act on its own
if necessary to push back Kurdish fighters. The NATO allies have
agreed to establish what Ankara calls a safe zone along Turkey’s
southern border and clear the region of Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters.
On Sunday, Turkish and U.S. troops carried out their first joint
military land patrol there. Turkey, which labels the YPG a terrorist
organization, wants the operations to expand rapidly as far as 20
miles (32 km) from its border to create a zone controlled by Turkish
troops. Cavusoglu said Turkey wanted to work with the United States
but was growing impatient. “Yes, there are some joint patrols but
other than that, the steps that have been taken or the steps that are
said to be taken are cosmetic steps,” he told reporters.”
Afghanistan
The
Washington Post: UN Chief: Islamic State Remains Resilient In
Afghanistan
“Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the Islamic State
extremist group remains resilient in Afghanistan despite “a high pace”
of operations against it by government and international forces — and
is urging all armed groups not to interfere in the upcoming
presidential election. The U.N. chief said in a report to the Security
Council circulated Monday that between mid-June and early September
183 incidents were attributed to Islamic State fighters — nearly
double the 93 incidents during the same period in 2018. Guterres’
report was written before U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly ended a
nearly yearlong effort to reach a political settlement with the
Taliban on Saturday. Trump said Monday that U.S. peace talks with the
Taliban were now “dead.” In the report, the secretary-general says the
U.S.-Taliban talks, a dialogue between Afghan parties in Qatar and
strengthened efforts “to build a regional consensus on peace have
given rise to cautious optimism that a formal peace process may soon
begin.” Guterres cautioned, however, that a peace process could only
be sustained if it is inclusive, protects the rights of all Afghans,
and is “grounded in a broad consensus.” He reiterated his call for
direct talks between the Taliban and the government, which the Taliban
has rejected.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Trump Declares U.S.-Taliban Talks Dead, Makes New
Threat
“President Trump declared that talks were dead between the U.S. and
the Taliban, the insurgent movement in Afghanistan, and warned the
U.S. could do “certain things” that would cost millions of lives in a
move to end the war, a step he said he doesn’t want to take. The
comments, made to reporters as he departed the White House for an
appearance in North Carolina on Monday, cast new doubt on the future
of the 18-year U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan after more
than a year of talks between Washington and the Taliban led to what
U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad last week called the threshold of an
agreement that appeared in jeopardy on Monday. Mr. Trump earlier had
scheduled a meeting at Camp David with leaders of the Taliban and the
Afghan government to discuss the possible agreement, but said on
Saturday that he called off the meetings after a U.S. soldier was
killed by a Taliban car bomb last week.”
The
New York Times: Afghans Glad Trump Stopped Taliban Talks, Even If They
Doubt His Explanation
“For several days after Abdul Sami was sent tumbling and knocked
unconscious by a powerful Taliban car bombing last week, he had no
idea that an American soldier was among the 12 people killed. Perched
on a hospital bed on Monday, his legs and abdomen wrapped in bandages,
Mr. Sami just shrugged when told that the soldier’s death had been
cited by President Trump as the basis for his decision to abort peace
talks with the Taliban. “Tell Mr. Trump I’m very, very tired and I
don’t feel like keeping up with these peace talks anyway,” said Mr.
Sami, 23, a travel agency employee. “There is no point in trying for
peace when the Taliban does such terrible things to innocent people.”
For many Afghans, the abrupt suspension of talks after 10 months of
negotiations was not entirely unexpected. What jarred them was the
notion that a single attack, and the death of one American, could
really have upended the talks when the deaths of thousands of Afghans
this year — not to mention at least 15 other American soldiers — had
not.”
Yemen
Middle
East Monitor: Al-Qaeda Seizes Control Of Southern Yemen
District
“Al-Qaeda forces in southern Yemen yesterday managed to wrestle
control of a district in the Abyan province which is the hometown of
Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. Al-Wadea
district was overrun with Al-Qaeda fighters, who sources say began to
emerge not long after the reported arrival of dozens of Islah aligned
militia last week from Marib to the oil producing province of Shabwa,
which shares a border with Abyan. The Muslim Brotherhood affiliated
Islah could be taking heed of a fatwa, religious edict, issued by the
Board of Yemeni Ulema (religious scholars), which called for the
southern separatist “insurgency” headed by the Southern Transitional
Council (STC) to be eliminated. The UAE, although partners with Saudi
Arabia in the coalition against the Houthi-dominated north, also backs
the STC, causing a rift between the two Gulf states, especially since
the STC assumed control over the strategic port city of Aden, which
served as the de-facto capital of the Hadi government.”
Lebanon
The
Washington Post: Hezbollah Downs Israeli Drone In Ongoing Tension
Between Iranian-Backed Groups And Israel
“Hezbollah announced Monday it downed an Israeli drone in southern
Lebanon, part of a string of clashes between Israel and Iranian-backed
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 its 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
carried out these strikes, although Israel has attacked Iranian
targets in Syria throughout the country’s civil war. In recent weeks,
Israel has struck targets in Syria, Lebanon and allegedly Iraq to stop
Iran from distributing sophisticated weapons within striking distance
of its borders. On the cusp of a contentious election that could seal
his political fate next week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu presented evidence Monday of what he claimed was an
additional Iranian nuclear site that Israel discovered and that Iran
subsequently destroyed in July, once it learned that Israel had
ascertained its whereabouts. “This is what I have to say to the
tyrants of Tehran: Israel knows what you’re doing.”
Middle East
The
Jerusalem Post: Al-Qaeda Is Back, Counter-Terror Experts
Say
“A range of top global counter-terror experts warned on Monday that
al-Qaeda is back, has reached a new high in followers worldwide and
may pose an escalating cyber terrorism threat. In several speeches at
the ICT-IDC Herzliya counter-terrorism conference, the officials
repeatedly returned to the theme of the threat of al-Qaeda, making it
clear that the group has supplanted ISIS as the number one global
terrorism threat. Jay Tabb, the executive assistant director of the
FBI’s National Security Branch, told the conference that al-Qaeda and
its affiliates now have 20,000 followers worldwide – a high for the
group which carried out the 9/11 attacks, but was upstaged in recent
years by ISIS. Following ISIS’s physical defeat in Syria and Iraq
(ISIS still has small units in other countries and an active online
presence), al-Qaeda has been on the rise. Former US cyber command
deputy chief Lt. Gen. (res.) Vincent Stewart warned the conference
that the West was underestimating the dangers of cyber terrorism posed
by al-Qaeda and even still potentially by ISIS. He said that the West
was finally getting serious about defending itself from
state-sponsored cyber attacks from Russia, China, Iran and North
Korea.”
Nigeria
Xinhua:
5 Nigerian Farmers Shot Dead In Boko Haram Attack
“Five local farmers were buried on Monday in a village in Nigeria's
northeastern state of Borno following an attack by Boko Haram group,
several sources said. The farmers were shot dead while working on
their farm earlier in the day at Shamawa village in Konduga local
government area, about 35 km south to Borno's capital, Maiduguri, one
security source said. One farmer who escaped during the gun attack
went to town with the news, the source, who preferred to be anonymous
said of the latest violence by the terror group. Several bullet wounds
were seen on the body of each of the deceased farmers, said another
source who helped in recovering the bodies and immediately prepared
for burial. Boko Haram is known for its agenda to maintain a virtual
caliphate in the most populous African country.”
Somalia
All
Africa: Somalia: Five Killed As Al-Shabaab Target Amisom
Troops
“At least 5 people including African Union peacekeeping mission
forces in Somalia (AMISOM) were killed on Sunday when a roadside
blasts targeted Amisom convoy in SoMiddle Shabelle region on Sunday,
local media reported. The attacks took near African Union forces base
in Burane vicinity near the town of Mahaday Middle Shabelle region.
“At least five people, mostly Amisom soldiers from Burundi, were
killed and several others wounded after their convoy was targeted in
double explosions near Mahaday district,” local radio broadcast
Risaala said. Muhiyidin Hassan, a police officer in the region,
confirmed the attack to Anadolu Agency over the phone but did not
provide further information on the attacks. African Union peacekeeping
mission in Somalia also confirmed the incident and said that the
attacks wounded two Amisom soldiers. Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated
group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the double blasts saying
that it had killed five Amisom soldiers in the attacks. International
community lauds the opening of the Galmudug Reconciliation Conference
currently underway in Dhusamareb.”
Xinhuanet:
UN Says Over 250,000 Somalis Newly Displaced In 7
Months
“More than a quarter of a million people have been displaced
between January and July in Somalia largely due to drought and
conflict, the UN humanitarian agency said on Monday. Citing figures
from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and global charity,
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)-led protection return and monitoring
network (PRMN), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (UNOCHA) says more than 100,000 people were newly displaced by
drought in 2019 and this is 50 percent lower than recorded for the
same period in 2018. However, says the UN agency, an increase was
reported in July with an estimated 28,000 people newly displaced, a 57
per cent increase compared to June. "Most of the conflict-related
displacement occurred in Lower Shabelle where armed operations by
Somali security forces backed by international partners against the
al-Shabab group resumed in April 2019,"said the UNOCHA in its latest
humanitarian bulletin.”
Africa
Voice
Of America: Egypt Wants Sudan Off US Terror List
“Egypt’s foreign minister on Monday called for more support for
neighboring Sudan’s new civilian-led government, including getting it
off the U.S. list of countries sponsoring terrorism. The U.S. named
Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993. In one of its last
acts, the Obama administration began a formal process to de-list
Sudan. However, this was put on hold when mass protests erupted in
December against President Omar al-Bashir’s three-decade rule, which
ended when the military ousted him in April. Sameh Shoukry said Egypt
is now working with Washington to end Sudan’s international pariah
status. The country has a newly installed government under a
power-sharing agreement between the pro-democracy movement and the
military, which many feared would cling to power. Shoukry was the
first foreign official to visit Sudan after its new cabinet was sworn
in Sunday. “What the Sudanese people have achieved is a role model,”
Shoukry told a joint news conference at the Sudanese capital,
Khartoum, alongside the country’s first woman foreign minister, Asmaa
Abdalla. He said Egypt has been working with regional and Western
allies to build support for the transitional government and that
efforts “to coordinate strongly with the Sudanese government will
continue.”
North Korea
The
Wall Street Journal: North Korea Offers To Restart Nuclear Talks With
U.S.
“North Korea vowed to reconvene nuclear talks with Washington later
this month and signaled it was ready to engage in comprehensive
discussions, a pledge that was followed hours later by the test-firing
of two short-range projectiles. Pyongyang, in a state-media report on
Tuesday, said it was ready for talks with the U.S. about relinquishing
the regime’s nuclear arsenal. The remarks were attributed to First
Vice Minister Choe Son Hui, one of the Kim regime’s most prominent
interlocutors with the U.S. Ms. Choe said formal nuclear talks would
occur at a yet-to-be-determined time and place in late September. “I
think the U.S. has since had enough time to find the calculation
method that it can share with us,” Ms. Choe was quoted as saying.
President Trump, speaking to reporters Monday on his way to a rally in
North Carolina, said he had seen Pyongyang’s state-media report about
a potential meeting. “We will see what happens, but I always say
having meetings is a good thing, not a bad thing,” Mr. Trump
said.”
United Kingdom
The
Guardian: Foiled Terrorist Attacks On UK Soil Have Risen To 22, Says
Top Officer
“The UK’s most senior counter-terrorism officer has revealed that
the number of attacks foiled since the Westminster atrocity has risen
to 22, with seven relating to suspected far-right terror. Speaking at
a conference in Israel, assistant commissioner Neil Basu disclosed the
updated figure as he laid out the law enforcement case in support of
the government’s divisive anti-radicalisation strategy, Prevent. He
said the number of foiled terrorist plots since the March 2017 attack
by Khalid Masood on Westminster Bridge, in which five people died
including a police officer, had risen from 19 to 22. Basu urged Lord
Carlile – whose appointment as independent reviewer of Prevent has
itself been met with controversy – to ignore “malign detractors” of
the programme and advocated a public health approach. “Rather than
just treat the symptoms of terrorism we must treat the causes. Prevent
– which offers a bespoke programme of support for vulnerable
individuals – is the closest thing to a public health solution we
have,” he said. “Evidence indicates people with extremist views are
more likely to be moved to violence when they feel excluded.”
The
Guardian: Terror Legislation Watchdog Rejects Call To Change Treason
Laws
“Proposals to renew treason laws in a bid to tackle Britons who
fight on behalf of extremist groups or enemy states should be
rejected, the terror legislation watchdog has said in his inaugural
speech in the role. Jonathan Hall QC, who was appointed as an
independent reviewer of terrorism legislation in May, said treason
laws, which date back to 1351, should be left alone. In May, the then
home secretary, Sajid Javid, said he had asked officials to consider
the case for updating treason legislation. His comments came after a
right-leaning thinktank, Policy Exchange, advocated renewing treason
lawsto prosecute Britons who betray the country through acts of
terror. However, Hall told an audience at the Royal United Services
Institute (RUSI) in central London that terrorists “might welcome the
risk of prosecution for treason as a badge of honour. “Whether the
mere existence of a law of treason might encourage actual terrorist
attacks is debatable,” he said. “But surely Islamic State would
savour the opportunity to say that true allegiance is owed to them,
not to the United Kingdom. We are in are deep waters, yet in my view,
these are objections which are insufficiently answered to justify a
new offence.”
BBC
News: Rugby Boy, 16, Charged With Terrorism Offences
“A 16-year-old boy has been charged with terrorism offences. The
boy, from Rugby, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested
on 3 September from his home address during a planned operation. West
Midlands Police said he was due to appear at Westminster Magistrates'
Court on Tuesday. A 62-year-old man also arrested on the same day at a
separate address in Rugby remains on bail while inquiries continue.
The boy has been charged with the commission, preparation and
instigation of acts of terrorism, as well as six counts of collecting
terrorism information.”
France
Express:
France Working To Bring Home Children Of ISIS Terrorists, Claims
Foreign Minister
“There are camps in which we have no presence. But we are doing
everything within our power to repatriate the children, in particular,
those who have been identified as orphans,” M Le Drian said in a joint
interview with Europe 1 radio, CNews television and Les Echos
newspaper. The children whose parents are being held in detention are
also being returned to France, “but only in exceptional circumstances,
when their mothers allow them to be sent home,” he continued.
President Emmanuel Macron’s government has categorically refused to
bring back ISIS jihadists, repeatedly branding them as “enemies” of
the state who should face justice either in Syria or Iraq. It has also
ruled out allowing mothers, some of whom stand accused of acting as
ISIS propagandists, to return with their children. A handful of jihadi
children have been sent back to France in recent months, where they
have been handed over to relatives or social services. M Le Drian’s
pledge is the latest small step in efforts to resolve the thorny
problem posed by the huge numbers of foreign fighters and their
families stranded in Syrian camps, as well as those facing trial in
neighbouring Iraq.”
Germany
The
Defense Post: Widow Of German Rapper Turned ISIS Fighter
Arrested
“German prosecutors said Monday they have arrested a
German-Tunisian woman, the widow of a German rapper turned Islamic
State fighter, over her alleged membership of the extremist group. The
woman, named only as Omaima A., was arrested in Hamburg last week and
also stands accused of having raised her children in the ideology of
the jihadist group. Omaima A. had married the rapper Denis Cuspert,
who went by the stage name Deso Dogg, after her first husband was
killed in an air raid in Kobane, according to prosecutors. Cuspert,
killed last year in an airstrike in Syria, was one of the most
notorious Western fighters for ISIS, having appeared in several
propaganda videos including one that apparently showed him with a
man’s severed head. Omaima A. had traveled to Syria in January 2015
with her three underaged children, to join her first husband and their
father, Nadar H., in Syria. She lived under ISIS rules, raising her
children following the group’s doctrines, and receiving monthly
financial help from the militant outfit, prosecutors said. She
subsequently wed Cuspert, but left him and returned to Germany
pregnant with their child, as well as her three other children, in
2016.”
Technology
Reuters:
Judge Lets Facebook Privacy Class Action Proceed, Calls Company's
Views 'So Wrong'
“A federal judge on Monday ordered Facebook Inc (FB.O) to face most
of a nationwide lawsuit seeking damages for letting third parties such
as Cambridge Analytica access users’ private data, calling the social
media company’s views on privacy “so wrong.” While dismissing some
claims, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco said users
could try to hold Facebook liable under various federal and state laws
for letting app developers and business partners harvest their
personal data without their consent on a “widespread” basis. He
rejected Facebook’s arguments that users suffered no “tangible” harm
and had no legitimate privacy interest in information they shared with
friends on social media. “Facebook’s motion to dismiss is littered
with assumptions about the degree to which social media users can
reasonably expect their personal information and communications to
remain private,” Chhabria wrote. “Facebook’s view is so wrong.”
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