Eye on Extremism
September 13, 2019
The
New York Times: U.S. Poised To Send 150 Troops To Patrol Northeastern
Syria
“The Pentagon is preparing to send about 150 troops to northeastern
Syria to conduct ground patrols with Turkish forces, reversing at
least temporarily a withdrawal from Syria that President Trump ordered
last December. The new troop deployment, which has not been previously
reported, is part of an expanding series of military and diplomatic
steps the United States has taken in recent weeks to defuse escalating
tensions with Turkey, a NATO ally, over American support for Syrian
Kurdish fighters. Those fighters led the ground war against the
Islamic State, a shared enemy, but Turkey considers them terrorists.
The United States currently has just under 1,000 troops in Syria,
mainly to help stamp out remaining pockets of Islamic State fighters.
Turkey threatened last month to invade northeast Syria to rout the
Syrian Kurds from territory along the border they seized from the
Islamic State. In response, the Pentagon in recent weeks has rushed to
both set up joint reconnaissance flights and ground patrols with
Turkish forces in a narrow buffer zone inside Syria, and destroy
Kurdish fortifications near the border that Turkey considered
threatening. Two senior American generals met this week with their
Turkish counterparts in Ankara, Turkey’s capital.”
Voice
Of America: US Offers Bounty For Information On Al-Qaida-Affiliated
Militants In Syria
“The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice Program is
offering a reward of up to $5 million each for information leading to
the identification of three leaders of an al-Qaida-affiliated jihadist
group in Syria. The cash bounty lists three prominent leaders of
Hurras al-Din militant group, including Faruq al-Suri, Abu ‘Abd
al-Karim al-Masri and Sami al-Uraydi. All three leaders have been
active in al-Qaida for years and remain loyal to its leader Ayman
al-Zawahiri, the State Department said in a statement. Faruq al-Suri,
also known as Samir Hijazi and Abu Hammam al-Shami, a Syrian national,
is the leader of the jihadist group. According to U.S. officials, he
fought in Afghanistan in the 1990s and trained al-Qaida militants in
Iraq between 2003 and 2005. This week al-Suri was designated by the
U.S. as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Abu ‘Abd al-Karim
al-Masri, an Egyptian national, is another senior leader of Hurras
al-Din. In 2018, al-Masri was a member of the group’s shura council,
the group’s highest decision-making body. The third listed leader is
Sami al-Uraydi, also known as Abu Mahmud al-Shami. Al-Uraydi, a
Jordanian national, has been a senior sharia official for Hurras
al-Din.”
The
Jerusalem Post: Warplanes Strike Syria's Idlib Despite Ceasefire -
Monitor, Rebel
“Air strikes pounded the south of Syria's Idlib region on Thursday,
a rebel official and residents said, despite a ceasefire that had
halted a fierce army offensive against the rebel stronghold two weeks
ago. Government warplanes bombed the south Idlib countryside for the
first time since, including Maarat al-Numan town, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor, said. Mohammad
Rashid, spokesman for the Jaish al-Nasr rebel faction, said the raids
had intensified after strikes on a few positions in the rural west of
Idlib in the past two days. Idlib, in Syria's northwest corner, is the
last big chunk of territory still in rebel hands after more than eight
years of civil war. Idlib enjoyed a lull in air strikes after Damascus
and its ally Moscow declared a ceasefire on Aug. 31 following five
months of bombing which the United Nations says killed hundreds of
people. This was the second such truce announced there in a month. A
ceasefire in early August collapsed within three days, after which the
Russian-backed army of President Bashar al-Assad pressed its offensive
and gained ground.”
The
Washington Post: Here’s Why The Taliban Might Still Want To Negotiate
With The U.S.
“On Saturday, President Trump announced the United States
had abandoned efforts to negotiate with the Taliban on ending the war
in Afghanistan. As the war enters its 18th year, it has cost the
United States more than 2,600 lives and billions, if not trillions, of
dollars — and has killed tens of thousands of Afghan and Pakistani
people. The U.S. position continues to deteriorate; the Afghan
government remains plagued by corruption, and there seems to be little
hope the Taliban will ever be defeated. So is there any hope of more
negotiations? One could argue that the Taliban is increasingly in a
position to outlast the United States and claim a decisive military
victory. If today’s Taliban were as cohesive as the Taliban that
managed to control Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, that might well be
true. But it’s not. Today’s Taliban includes a variety of factions,
such as the prominent Quetta Shura and Pakistani-supported Haqqani
network. Beyond these internal divisions lie further divisions among
the broader Afghan insurgency, which includes the emerging Islamic
State Khorasan (IS-K). Our research in the Journal of Global Security
Studies argues that powerful insurgent factions may seek peace to
forestall their own decline when rival insurgent factions are
increasing in power.”
The
Jerusalem Post: Simon Wiesenthal Calls On Germany To Ban Hezbollah
Amid Its Terror Pledge
“The human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center urged in
Berlin on Wednesday that the German government ban the Lebanese
terrorist movement Hezbollah in the federal republic. “We live in a
time when violent attacks against Jews have almost become routine,
including the beating of an Israeli because he spoke Hebrew on a
Berlin Street Tuesday night,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the center’s
associate dean. “While we welcome the efforts of German authorities to
oppose antisemitism and to deal with its consequences, it is vitally
important they also take on the multiple sources of Jew-hatred. Not
only neo-Nazis, but also from Iran, Hezbollah, and from Palestinians
whose educational system indoctrinates children from a young age to
hate Jews,” he said. The Jerusalem Post first reported in late August
on a pro-Hezbollah Islamist who declared at the Imam Mahdi Center in
Münster, Germany: “We are proud of our terrorism.” The Post learned
about terrorism activities on the Facebook page of the Islamic center
and mosque, and informed the The Middle East Media Research Institute.
MEMRI located a video of the Hezbollah Islamist endorsing
terrorism.”
Al
Jazeera: 22,000 Nigerians Missing Since Boko Haram Crisis Began: Red
Cross
“At least 22,000 people are missing in Nigeria due to the
decade-long conflict with the Boko Haram group, the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said. In a statement, ICRC
President Peter Maurer said nearly 60 percent of those missing were
children and that it was the highest number of missing persons
registered with the organisation in any country. “They were minors
when they went missing, meaning thousands of parents don't know where
their children are and if they are alive or dead,” he said on Thursday
at the end of his five-day trip to Nigeria. “Every parent's worst
nightmare is not knowing where their child is. This is the tragic
reality for thousands of Nigerian parents.” Nigeria is faced with
multiple conflicts, including attacks by the Boko Haram and the
frequent clashes between the nomadic herders and the farmers. Boko
Haram - whose name roughly translates to “Western education is
forbidden” - wants to establish an Islamic state based on a strict
interpretation of the Islamic law. The United Nations estimates that
more than 27,000 people have been killed and an estimated two million
others displaced in Nigeria's northeast because of the violence by
the Boko Haram.”
United States
U.S.
News & World Report: Federal Judge To Sentence Far-Right Extremist
In Gun Case
“A 30-year-old man whose relatives reported concerns about his
behavior and far-right extremist rhetoric after last year's Pittsburgh
synagogue massacre awaits sentencing for his conviction on a federal
gun charge. Jeffrey Clark Jr. is scheduled to be sentenced Friday by
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington, D.C. Clark pleaded
guilty in July to illegal possession of a firearm. Federal prosecutors
have recommended a 10-month prison sentence. Clark, who has been
jailed for 10 months since his arrest, could be eligible for immediate
release if Kelly agrees with prosecutors' recommendation. The FBI said
Clark is a white nationalist who followed Pittsburgh synagogue
shooting suspect Robert Bowers on social media and referred to him as
a “hero” in a post after the October shooting that killed 11
people.”
AL.com:
2nd USA Student In A Week Charged With Terrorist
Threat
“A second University of South Alabama student has been arrested
this week on a charge of making a terrorist threat. Jack Christensen,
21, was arrested by campus police and charged with making a terrorist
threat on Tuesday. Christensen is a Birmingham native and graduated
from Oak Mountain High School in 2016. According to Bob Lowry,
director of communications and media relations at South Alabama, the
incident was brought to the attention of USAPD by a University
employee. In the course of the investigation, the suspect was observed
on an university security camera allegedly committing the act a second
time. Details of the nature of the threat were not released.
Christensen is the second USA student to be arrested this week as
Jaleel Hughes, 21, was arrested and charged with the same crime. Lowry
also confirmed that this incident is not related to the other case
against Hughes.”
The
Hill: Adapting And Upgrading Our Counterterrorism
Tools
“In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, President George
W. Bush signed a powerful executive order to deprive terrorists of the
money they need to attack our country and our interests. Since that
moment, the U.S. government has aggressively wielded this vital tool,
using it to target more than 1,500 terrorists, terrorist groups and
their financial supporters and facilitators. These sanctions have
denied terrorists resources, and forced them to devote additional time
and energy to seek out new financial channels. It also deterred
would-be donors and facilitators. In an effort to avoid our financial
tradecraft, the terror groups have continuously adapted so we need to
evolve our capabilities as well. That’s why earlier this
week, President Trump issued a revised and expanded executive
order that is the most significant update of our terrorist designation
authorities since the aftermath of 9/11. We have seen the power of
counterterrorism sanctions. Combined with battlefield victories, the
U.S. government accelerated the territorial defeat of the so-called
ISIS caliphate in Iraq and Syria by sanctioning key leaders and
facilitation networks supporting the group. We have kept up the
pressure on al Qaeda with 24 designations since 2017.”
Reuters:
U.S. Says It Has Evidence Adrian Darya 1 Oil Transferred To
Syria
“The United States has evidence that the Iranian tanker Adrian
Darya 1 has transferred its crude oil to the Syrian government,
breaking assurances it gave not to sell crude to the country, the U.S.
State Department said on Thursday. British commandos on July 4 seized
the vessel, formerly named the Grace 1, on suspicion that it was en
route to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions. Gibraltar
released it on Aug. 15 after getting written Iranian assurances that
it would not discharge its 2.1 million barrels of oil in Syria.
Britain’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said the tanker had sold its
crude oil to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
breaking those assurances, and that the oil had been transferred to
Syria. Iran’s envoy to Britain, who was summoned by the British
foreign ministry over the matter, on Wednesday said Adrian Darya 1’s
oil cargo was sold at sea to a private company, denying Tehran had
broken assurances it gave. He also said the private buyer of the oil
“sets the sale destination.”
The
Washington Post: US Envoy Rejects Claim Of ‘War Crime’ By Key UN Syria
Panel
“The United States’ top envoy for Syria rejected Thursday findings
by U.N.-backed investigators that deadly airstrikes by the U.S.-led
coalition early this year may amount to a war crime. Ambassador James
Jeffrey said the coalition takes “extreme care in every military
operation we do.” His comments came a day after investigators working
for the U.N.’s top human rights body suggested that coalition
airstrikes on Jan. 3 near the town of as-Safa, along the Iraqi border,
that killed 16 civilians may not have been directed at a military
objective or may not have been carried out with the “necessary
precaution.” “Launching indiscriminate attacks that result in death or
injury to civilians amounts to a war crime in cases in which such
attacks are conducted recklessly,” the Commission of Inquiry said in
its latest report.”
Iran
Egypt
Today: Arab Ministers Condemn Iran For Supporting Houthi Terrorism In
Region
“The Arab ministerial committee, made up of ministers from Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt, has condemned Iran’s support for
the Houthi militia in targeting Saudi Arabia with ballistic
missiles. A statement by the committee condemned the ongoing support
by Tehran for terrorism in the Arab region and its violation of the
Security Council resolution no. 2216 (2015), which requires militia to
be disarmed. The committee also reiterated the importance of opposing
Iranian attempts to threaten the security of the region’s energy
supplies, as well as maritime installations in the Arabian Gulf and
other shipping lanes. The comments come as the Arab coalition
intercept yet another Houthi drone fired towards Saudi
airspace. Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said the drone was
targeting civilian areas in Saudi Arabia’s Najran. Al-Maliki announced
earlier this week that Iranian-backed Houthi militias fired a
ballistic missile from Amran province on Friday afternoon but the
missile fell in the Yemeni territory of Saada. Malki explained that
the Houthi militias continued to violate international humanitarian
law and its customary rules by firing ballistic missiles, which affect
population centers, threatening the lives of hundreds of innocent
civilians inside Yemen.”
The
New York Post: Netanyahu Exposes More Of Iran’s Lies
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week offered fresh
reason why the Iran nuclear deal was never good enough — namely, new
proof that Tehran has been cheating on its nuclear promises for years.
Specifically, Bibi revealed the existence of a secret nuke-research
site that Iran never revealed, even after it promised to suspend its
nuclear program in the 2015 accord. The photos show major activity at
the site in the early 2000s — and then, more recently, the same
cluster of buildings reduced to rubble. “This is the site after they
understood that we were on to them,” Netanyahu explained. Info on the
facility was contained in an archive of Iranian nuclear activities
that Israeli agents captured in January 2018, an intelligence coup
that Israel made public that May. At which point, Bibi noted, “They
tried to destroy the evidence.” His message to the “tyrants of
Tehran”: “Israel knows what you’re doing … and will continue to expose
your lies.”
The
National Interest: These Are The Signs That Iran's Regime Is Close To
Crumbling
“Iran cannot resist maximum pressure forever and its economy is not
going to last. Iran and the United States are as close to direct
conflict as they have been for three decades, since Operation Praying
Mantis in 1988 which was, at the time, the largest surface naval
engagement since World War II. A lot of ink has been spilled and
oxygen expended discussing the matter, some of it good and some of it
simplistic. Here a few thoughts, informed by being lucky enough to
spend close to seven months studying in the Islamic Republic while
finishing a doctorate in philosophy on Iranian history. I worked on
the Iran desk at the Pentagon during the George W. Bush
administration, frequently visit the Persian Gulf, and have followed
Iran almost continuously for a quarter century. 1) Pressure can work
on Iran. There has been, for more than a decade, a curious line of
argument that pressure upon Iran is counterproductive. The Century
Foundation’s Dina Esfandiary, for example, tweeted that “#Iran won’t
talk as pressure increases because it would be suicide for the
government. They will talk when they can get something tangible in
return for concessions.” And, using numbers of centrifuges as a
metric, Wendy Sherman, an Obama administration negotiator, has
repeatedly argued that conciliation trumps coercion on Iran."
The
New York Times: Couple’s Trek Across Continents Ended In An Iranian
Prison
“In 2017, Jolie King and Mark Firkin hit the road in a white Toyota
Land Cruiser, beginning a journey that over the next two years would
take them from their home in Perth, Australia, across large stretches
of Asia as they meandered toward Europe. Photos and videos posted on
social media accounts documenting their adventure show the pair
swimming in the turquoise waters of Bali, trekking to Everest base
camp and driving through the valleys of Pakistan surrounded by
snow-capped peaks. Then, at the end of June, their posts suddenly
stopped. On Thursday, officials confirmed that the couple were among
three Australian citizens detained in Iran for the past 10 weeks.
Rights groups have expressed concerns that they may have been
tortured, and a fellow prisoner’s husband reported that Ms. King had
been held for weeks in solitary confinement. It is unclear why the
pair were detained, and the Iranian authorities have not responded to
requests for comment about Ms. King and Mr. Firkin. Pouria Zeraati, a
prominent Iranian journalist, said the pair had been detained after
flying a drone near Tehran without a permit.”
Radio
Farda: Iran To Arrest Superstar For Sympathizing With Dead Female
Football Fan
“While the International Football Federation (FIFA) is set to
dispatch a delegation to Tehran to look into the case of a female
football fan who recently committed suicide by self-immolation, the
Islamic Republic has issued a warrant to arrest a movie superstar in
Iran for supporting the victim. A news agency affiliated with the
Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Fars, reported that a judge
had issued a warrant for arresting Saba Kamali, a famous movie and
theater actress. Saba Kamali had published a post on her Instagram
page that, according to Fars, the prosecutor has found insulting to
the third Shiite Imam, Hussain ibn Ali. In a post on Instagram, Kamali
had rhetorically said the female football fan Sahar Khodayari had
suffered more ruthless treatment than the Imam and his companions who
are considered martyrs by Shiites when they were killed in Karbala,
Iraq in the 7th century. However, hours later, Ms. Kamali removed the
post and explained that her remarks on Instagram were merely a
personal and intimate dialogue with the third Imam, but a few "biased
and bigoted individuals" misunderstood it, attributing stupid
tendencies to her.”
Global
News: Iran’s Properties In Canada Sold, Proceeds Handed To Terror
Victims
“Tens of millions worth of seized Iranian government properties
have been sold off in Canada and the proceeds handed to victims of
terrorist groups sponsored by the regime, Global News has learned.
According to a document filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice
last month, the victims got a share of the money earned through the
sale of Iran’s buildings in Ottawa and Toronto. The properties went
for more than $28-million, documents show. The recipients were victims
of Hamas and Hezbollah — terrorist groups bankrolled, armed and
trained by Iran. “The distribution to creditors as authorized by the
court has been made,” the Toronto law firm appointed as the
court-appointed receiver, Albert Gelman Inc., informed the judge on
Aug. 7.”
Iraq
Fox
News: Satellite Image Shows 'ISIS-Infested' Island Bombed By US
Reduced To Smoking Craters
“A satellite image taken this week shows the aftermath of a massive
U.S. bombing campaign against an ”ISIS-infested” island in
northern Iraq. American jets dropped more than 80,000 pounds of
laser-guided bombs on Qanus Island on Tuesday. The new image from
Planet Labs, Inc., shows smoking craters in decimated areas that were
previously covered in green foliage and forest. The bombing was meant
to destroy an area the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group was using for
operations in the region, U.S. officials said. Iraqi forces searched
and cleared the area following the bombing. Wim Zwijnenburg, a senior
researcher at PAX, a Dutch nongovernmental organization specializing
in conflict and the environment, told Fox News that historical images
show the island doesn’t have any structures, indicating it’s unlikely
there are underground facilities. Zwijnenburg said the island, on the
Tigris River south of Mosul, has been targeted in the past. The
nearest U.S. military presence is at Qayyarah Airfield West, about 10
miles away; it's occupied by the U.S.-led coalition battling the
terrorist group. Roughly a dozen terrorists were killed in a previous
airstrike on the island, Col. Myles B. Caggins III, spokesman for
Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), told Fox
News on Thursday.”
The
Arab Weekly: ISIS Legacy In Iraq Has An Enduring Effect On Yazidi
Survivors
“Two years ago, the Islamic State was defeated in Iraq. Whether it
was the US-led strikes or Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani’s
support to Iraqi forces that played a key role in defeating the
militant group, it still poses a threat to Iraq’s stability. A report
written by Glenn A. Fine, principal deputy inspector general for
Operation Inherent Resolve, stated that US President Donald Trump’s
choice to withdraw troops from Syria and pay little attention to
diplomacy in Iraq triggered the “resurgence” and “regrouping” of
Islamic State (ISIS) forces in Syria and Iraq. The report said
approximately 14,000-18,000 troops are active within ISIS. That number
suggests the remaining troops are to be considered responsible for
recent attacks, killings and agricultural burning in Syria, Iraq and
other parts of the world. The potential comeback of ISIS raises fears,
especially considering that trying to claim justice from a brutal
terrorist organisation like ISIS is difficult. In 2016, Nadia Murad,
an Iraqi Yazidi once held captive by ISIS, gave a powerful and
heartfelt speech to the United Nations. Speaking with a bold yet
fragile tone, Murad said she wanted to “look the men who raped me in
the eye and see them brought to justice.” However, what really touched
the audience was Murad’s wish that she wanted to be “the last girl in
the world with a story like mine.”
Xinhua:
Iraqi Forces Discover IS Ammunition Cache In Western
Iraq
“The Iraqi military said Thursday that an ammunition cache
belonging to Islamic State (IS) militants was discovered in Iraq's
western province of Anbar. A force from Anbar's Operations Command
uncovered the ammunition cache during an operation in the area of Wadi
al-Qadhif in Anbar desert, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said in a
statement. Nasir al-Ghannam, commander of Anbar's Operations Command,
said that the ammunition cache contains 570 newly-made explosive
belts, bombs, hand grenades and anti-tank mines. The place was used by
IS militants to store their ammunition before distributing them to
carry out attacks in the cities of Anbar province and in the Iraqi
capital Baghdad, the statement said. In a separate operation, another
force from Anbar Operations Command, in cooperation with civilians in
the province, captured two wanted IS militants, the statement added,
without giving further details. The security situation in Iraq has
dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the
extremist IS militants across the country in later 2017. IS remnants,
however, have since melted into urban areas or resorted to the deserts
and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out frequent hit-and-run
attacks against security forces and civilians.”
VOA:
Iraq Sentences Islamic State’s Woman Chemical Weapons
Expert
“The Iraqi government on Thursday said it has issued life
imprisonment for a female Islamic State (IS) member who helped the
group develop chemical and biological weapons. The woman, identified
by the Iraqi Interior Ministry as Abrar al-Kubaisi, reportedly played
a key role in research as a part of IS’s team to develop chemical and
biological weapons. Iraq’s Falcon Intelligence Cell did not disclose
the time of her arrest, saying only that she had been arrested during
an operation at an earlier date. Life in prison: “The convicted
terrorist Abrar al-Kubaisi, who was recently sentenced to life
imprisonment, was one of the most prominent biological researchers
involved in the IS program to manufacture and train special elements
within the Development and Manufacturing Body of the terrorist
organization responsible for preparation, production and use of
chemical weapons in the country and abroad,” said Abu Ali al-Basri,
the head of Iraqi Interior Ministry’s Directorate of Intelligence and
Counterterrorism, in a statement for semi-official al-Sabah
newspaper.”
Afghanistan
The
Wall Street Journal: Taliban Urge U.S. To Resume Talks After Bolton’s
Departure
“The Taliban on Thursday called on the U.S. to restart talks on
ending the 18-year-old conflict in Afghanistan, urging the Trump
administration to revisit a nearly completed deal after it abruptly
withdrew from the process last week. President Trump, a longtime
critic of the Afghan war, this week declared peace talks with the
Taliban to be dead after canceling a secret meeting with Taliban and
Afghan officials at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.
However, he added in the same remarks, on Monday, that meetings are
the only way to end wars. The resignation this week of national
security adviser John Bolton, a vocal critic of the proposed summit
being planned in secrecy and known only to a small number of
officials, could open the door to further engagements with the
insurgent group. “The removal of such a prominent administration foe
of talks could signal Trump’s intention to circle back to
negotiations,” said Michael Kugelman, of the Wilson Center, a think
tank in Washington. “By removing Bolton, he reduces the likelihood of
White House resistance the next time around,” The chief U.S.
negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, remains on the job and has continued to
schedule meetings with counterparts for the remainder of September,
according to people familiar with his plans, a sign that there may
still be a chance to resuscitate the process.”
Al
Jazeera: Taliban Suicide Attack In Kabul Kills Afghan
Troops
“A Taliban suicide car bomber has targeted an Afghan special
forces' base on the outskirts of the capital, Kabul, killing at least
four troops, an official said on Thursday. Three other soldiers were
also wounded in Thursday's attack in the Chahar Asyab district in
Kabul, Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the Afghan Defence Ministry,
said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for
the bombing in an email statement. The attack came as US
President Donald Trump pledged to hit the Taliban ”harder than they
have ever been hit before”. Last week, he abruptly called off
US-Taliban peace talks as the two sides were on the verge of signing a
draft deal to end the US's longest war. Two Taliban car bombs shook
Kabul last week, killing several civilians and two members of the NATO
mission, including a US soldier.”
Lebanon
Reuters:
New Sanctions Could Extend To Allies Of Hezbollah In Lebanon: U.S.
Envoy
“Future U.S. sanctions could target allies of Hezbollah in Lebanon,
extending beyond direct affiliates of the Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim
group, a U.S. envoy said on Thursday. “In the future we will
designate, because we have to, individuals in Lebanon who are aiding
and assisting Hezbollah, regardless of their sect or religion,” the
new U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs David
Schenker said in an interview with Lebanon’s LBCI television. When
asked by the interviewer if this means sanctions will target allies of
Hezbollah, Schenker said “absolutely”, adding that the United States
is constantly reviewing its sanctions lists. The proposed targeting of
allies of Hezbollah has been a sensitive subject for Lebanon in the
past. In 2017 a draft copy of proposed, tighter U.S. sanctions on
Hezbollah caused disquiet in Lebanon because the wording, seen by
Reuters, implied the legislation could target the Shi’ite Amal
movement of parliament speaker Nabih Berri for investigation.”
Middle East
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Bahrain Convicts 2 Citizens Over Transfer Of Funds For
Terrorist Purposes
“The Bahraini judiciary convicted Thursday two Bahraini citizens,
one of them a member of Al Ashtar Brigades, which is designated as a
terrorist organization by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain and
blacklisted by the US administration for terror crimes against
Bahrain’s stability and security. Bahrain’s Grand Criminal Court
sentenced the men to three years in prison with a fine of up to
BHD100,000. A third man who was accused in the same case was later
acquitted. Chief of Terror Crime Prosecution Advocate General Ahmed
al-Hammadi stated Thursday that the Fourth Grand Criminal Court has
issued its sentence in the incident of transferring cash allocated for
promoting terrorist groups. Both men provided financial support to
terrorist members and outlaws for the sake of conducting terrorist
plots and spurring chaos. Their quest was to destabilize the kingdom
and target security guards. The first convict assigned the second to
hand out money to terrorist members. Moreover, some of the received
amounts were distributed to the households of those arrested on
security grounds. The Public Prosecution relied on the witnesses, the
first convict's confession, as well as the technical evidence to issue
charges. The case was referred to the Fourth High Criminal Court.”
The
National: Alleged Hezbollah Drone Supplier And Iraqi Militia Leader
Founded Aviation Company
“A Lebanese man wanted by the US for allegedly supplying drone
technology to Hezbollah once formed an aviation company in partnership
with an Iraqi militant who has been sanctioned for assisting Iran's
Revolutionary Guard, an investigation by The National has found.
Lebanese corporate records show that Samir Berro was a co-founder of
Beirut-based Gulf Bird in 2007 along with an Iraqi national identified
as Shibl Muhsin Obaid. The National cross-referenced information
provided on the Iraqi's ID document with US and Iraqi government data
as well as the corporate documents to determine that the person in
question is Shibl Muhsin Obaid Al Zaydi, the leader of the Iran-backed
Kataib Al Imam Ali militia in Iraq. In November 2018, the US Treasury
Department sanctioned Mr Al Zaydi for working on behalf of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force (IRGC-QF) to support Hezbollah.
Months earlier, the US unsealed an indictment against Mr Berro for
conspiring to illegally export drone parts and technology to
Hezbollah. He was charged along with two individuals arrested in South
Africa but remains at large.”
Egypt
The
Wall Street Journal: Security Threats Delay Egypt-Israel Gas Deal,
Says U.S. Official
“Egypt’s plan to import Israeli natural gas is being upended by
security threats in the region where the military is fighting Islamic
State, a senior U.S. energy official said, delaying implementation of
a landmark 2018 Israel-Egypt deal. U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Dan
Brouillette, visiting Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials, said
Thursday the security situation in North Sinai has disrupted plans to
repair pipeline infrastructure that connects Egypt and Israel.Israel
and Egypt plan to revive use of an existing natural-gas pipeline
between the two countries whose overland portion in the Sinai Desert
has been attacked by militants.*Eastern Mediterranean Gas Co.
†Egyptian Natural Gas Co. Source: Energy EgyptUnder a $15 billion deal
struck in February 2018, natural gas was supposed to begin flowing to
Egypt from Israel across the North Sinai pipeline in March, but
Israeli and Egyptian officials say the imports won’t begin until late
this year or early 2020. “I do think the security issues factor into
this,” said Mr. Brouillette, as he pressed Egypt’s Oil Minister Tarek
al-Molla to take into account safety concerns. “There’s some
infrastructure that needs to be repaired in that area. That’s part of
the holdup for shipping the gas,” said Mr. Brouillette. “No one wants
to send individuals into harm’s way.” Egyptian officials, who haven’t
given a reason for delaying the gas deal’s implementation, didn’t
respond to a request for comment on Mr. Brouillette’s remarks. In a
recent interview, Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said
security issues weren’t to blame.”
Nigeria
Xinhua:
Nigerian Military Says Kills 3 Boko Haran Militants In Clearance
Operation
“Three Boko Haram militants were confirmed killed during a
clearance operation by troops in Nigeria's northeastern town of Gwoza,
said the army on Thursday. The operation, aimed at clearing the
remnants of Boko Haram militants in the town located in the northern
state of Borno, was carried out in collaboration with a
government-backed militia group, the Civilian Joint Task Force, on
Wednesday. Army spokesman Sagir Musa said a gunfight ensued between
the troops and the Boko Haram group in Kirawa community of the town,
leading to the death of the militants. Some of the militants fled, he
said. An unconfirmed number of militants were also wounded during the
gunfight, Musa said. “No soldier was killed, wounded or missing in
action during the encounter,” he said. The northeast region of the
most populous African country has been destabilized for over a decade
by Boko Haram, which kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls in 2014.”
Somalia
Xinhuanet:
Senior Al-Shabab Leader Surrenders To Somali Forces
“A senior member of the militant group al-Shabab on Thursday
surrendered to government forces in the Bakool region, southwestern
Somalia, the military said. The militant, identified as Yarow Hassan
Aden, handed himself over to the 51st division of the Somali National
Army (SNA), SNA commander in the region, Derow Abdi Ali, told
journalists. "The militant gave himself up and laid down his weapon
and he informed us he was ready to assist government forces in their
fight against al-Shabab extremists," the commander said, adding that
the defected militant is in the hands of National Security and
Intelligence Agency. The former senior al-Shabab leader said he was
misguided in joining the terrorists. "I have found out that al-Shabab
has deviated from the right path and they are fighting to harm Somali
people so I decided to quit that wrong ideology," Aden said.”
Africa
Bloomberg:
Al-Qaeda Issues Rare Apology After Land Mine Kills Bus
Riders
“We’re sorry” is something militant groups that have made deadly
violence their trademark rarely say. But that’s what an al-Qaeda
affiliate responsible for scores of attacks across West Africa said
Wednesday as it apologized for the deaths of “our brothers and sons”
who died in Mali as a bus they were traveling in hit a landmine meant
for the “French occupier and its acolytes.” About 60 people were on
the bus when it passed through a region in central Mali notorious for
jihadist violence despite French-led military efforts to repel the
militants. Fourteen people died and 15 others were injured in the
Sept. 3 attack, according to the government. The apology from the
Group of Support for Muslims and Islam, known as JNIM, was first
published by its media outlet Az-Zallaqa and shared on social media.
Though rare, al-Qaeda and its affiliates have apologized for incidents
in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. For Mali, plagued by Islamist violence since
2012, it’s a first.”
Africanews:
Ethiopia Army Arrests Islamic State Members Recruiting, Arming
Locals
“An Ethiopian army official says members of the Islamic State
extremist group have been detained in the East African country.
Berhanu Jula, deputy chief of Ethiopia’s military, told the
state-owned Ethiopian News Agency on Wednesday that there is evidence
the extremist group “has recruited, trained and armed some
Ethiopians.” He did not say how many were arrested and how. He said
other members of the group still at large are being hunted down and
warned that the Islamic State group had tried many times in the past
to set up base in Ethiopia. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has recently
warned about attempts by the Somalia-based al-Shabab extremists to
make inroads into Ethiopia. Ethiopia’s army has a heavy presence in
border areas with Somalia, where al-Shabab mounts regular bomb
attacks.”
The
National: West African Leaders Hold Summit On Sahel Anti-Terror
Battle
“West African leaders will meet in the capital of Burkina Faso on
Saturday for a summit expected to lead to an overhaul in the
unsuccessful attempt to defeat terrorism in the Sahel region. Most of
the heads of Ecowas, the group of 15 countries on West Africa's coast
and hinterland, are expected to attend the one-day meeting, which
Chad, Cameroon and Mauritania will also attend. Leading the agenda
will be a review of the G5 Sahel, a five-nation alliance to combat
terrorism in the fragile region, which lies between the Sahara and
Atlantic. Backed by former colonial power France, the G5 Sahel was
formed to great fanfare in 2014. The centrepiece of its strategy has
been an initiative, launched in July 2017, to pool 5,000 troops from
Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger and wrench back control
from insurgent groups in the region. But hamstrung by insufficient
funds, training and equipment, the force has only now reached 4,000
troops, and for many analysts it seems to be losing the battle.The
extremists have spread from Mali to Burkina Faso and Niger, as well as
Chad. Their hit-and-run raids are inflicting growing human, economic
and political tolls, sparking fears that the coastal countries to the
south are next in line.”
Europe
CBS
News: This Smuggler Claims He'll Move ISIS Members Throughout Europe.
The Price: $8,000
“Human smuggling is a big business in Athens and CBS News has found
evidence that ISIS members are being moved through Greece to the rest
of Europe. In central Athens, an area around Omonia Square is
notorious as a center of criminal activity where human smuggling gangs
operate. Filming with a hidden camera, CBS News set up a meeting with
Alrayes. He comes from North Africa and runs a smuggling syndicate,
moving people from Athens to western Europe for around $8,000 each.
“'From Athens, you go [to] Italy, you arrive there in Italy. I have
people will help you with everything. It's very easy,” he said. His
usual customers are migrants and refugees. Hundreds of thousands have
come to Greece from the Middle East, many making the dangerous
crossing by boat. They're dreaming of a better life in western Europe,
and Alrayes and other smugglers can get them there. I posed not as a
refugee, but as an ISIS wife, who wanted safe passage to Germany. “No
problem,” Alrayes said. In fact, he said, he's moved other ISIS
members before. He even bragged that he'd smuggled three brothers of
notorious al Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a claim CBS News
cannot confirm. The smugglers use stolen identity documents.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: European Report: ISIS Wives Should Be Seen As
Threats
“A European report issued in Brussels has revealed information on
the wives of ISIS militants who have returned from areas that the
terrorist group had control over before its collapse.The study, issued
by the Slovakia-based non-governmental group GLOBSEC, said those
returning from areas such as ISIS' former “caliphate” should be
regarded not as “brides” but as militants capable of active roles in
future attacks. The report warned that there are continuous attempts
to convince girls and women in Europe to join ISIS.It referred to a
recent case when a man in France radicalized two Belgian teens and
tried to enlist them and convince them to go to Syria. The study,
which looked at data from 326 European militants captured, deported or
killed since 2015, found that though women and girls were a tiny
minority of so-called “foreign terrorist fighters”, many still
represented a significant threat. Out of the 43 female suspects in the
study, there were cases of attack planners, active female recruiters,
propagandists and what effectively could be called a logistical
officer who had sheltered fighters, it said.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Truth And No Consequences In
Russia
“Moscow keeps assassinating (or trying to) opponents of Vladimir
Putin ’s regime in Western Europe. The latest case, according to U.S.
officials, is the murder in a Berlin park on Aug. 23 of a Georgian who
fought against Russia in a Chechen uprising. So why does the West seem
to want to let Mr. Putin get away with it? The murder of Zelimkhan
Khangoshvili, described as a midlevel commander during Chechnya’s
second war with Moscow, follows the Kremlin’s attempt last year to
poison former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England. That attack
left Mr. Skripal and his daughter in the hospital, one innocent Briton
dead, and another citizen and two police officers ill. The Kremlin
also murdered Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006. The surprise now
is that even as Mr. Putin extends his killing streak, the West’s
resolve is faltering. The Salisbury attack triggered a welcome moment
of unity as Britain, the U.S. and other European allies simultaneously
expelled Russian diplomats in retaliation for the attack. Yet more
recently leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and
President Trump want to bring Mr. Putin in from the cold.”
Technology
The
Daily Dot: Neo-Nazis Are Using Telegram To Incite Terrorism—And It’s
Worse Than You Think
“An anonymous activist compiled a list of 367 neo-Nazi and white
supremacist Telegram channels to illustrate how the secure messaging
platform is now home to the internet’s most hardcore far-right
communities. The extensive list, which was posted to PrivateBin,
includes URLs for hundreds of openly accessible and active channels
where users can be found glorifying or advocating for violence and
spreading white supremacist ideas. Extremist groups, from Islamic
State jihadists to militant Nazi dissidents, have been using Telegram
to organize themselves online for years. The communication app was
founded by two Russian brothers in 2013 and recently became a safe
haven for controversial pro-Trump right-wing internet personalities,
such as former Breitbart writer Milo Yiannopoulos and activist Laura
Loomer, in the wake of permanent bans from the likes of YouTube and
Twitter. Controversial and often-sexist sports blog Barstool, with
its seven million Instagram followers, announced this week that it
would start a Telegram community to post content Instagram was
censoring.”
The
New York Times: Google Settles With U.S. Over Workers’ Complaints It
Stifled Dissent
“Google said Thursday that it had reached a settlement with the
National Labor Relations Board over complaints from multiple employees
who say the company has stymied dissent, including one who has said he
was fired for being an outspoken conservative. Google plans to explain
to employees the rights they have as workers under federal law, like
the ability to discuss workplace conditions, said Jenn Kaiser, a
Google spokeswoman. And it will tell the employees that Google will
not retaliate against them for exercising those rights. “Under that
settlement, we have agreed to post a notice to our employees reminding
them of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act,” Ms.
Kaiser said in a statement. “As a part of that notice, we will also
remind employees of the changes we made to our workplace policies back
in 2016 and 2017 that clarified those policies do not prevent
employees from discussing workplace issues.”
Euronews:
France Wants To Block Facebook's New Libra Cryptocurrency From
Europe
“France's finance minister has said the European Union should
introduce a common set of rules to govern virtual currencies, which at
the moment are regulated at the national level. This comes on the back
of his Thursday's comments when he said he planned to try and block
the development of Facebook's newly-unveiled cryptocurrency Libra in
Europe. Bruno Le Maire made the comments at an OECD conference on
Thursday, adding that such a block would protect "monetary
sovereignty". He said: "I want to be absolutely clear: In these
conditions, we cannot authorise the development of Libra on European
soil." Arriving at a meeting of EU finance ministers in Helsinki on
Friday, Le Maire said a "common framework" on digital currencies was
needed at the EU level. He also urged the creation of a European
"public digital currency," but failed to give any more details.
Facebook unveiled its new venture in June, with plans to allow users
to make payments across Facebook-owned apps, including Whatsapp and
Facebook Messenger.”
Forbes:
Facebook, Instagram And YouTube Will Now Be Banned, Russians
Warned
“Russian authorities are (unsurprisingly) no fans of U.S. social
media sites peddling their wares inside the heavily-controlled
country. And there has been speculation in the past that Russia might
make its move to ban social media sites from the country. Now,
according to the Internet Protection Society—an NGO that fights for
online freedom, the time has finally come and such government plans
are afoot. In truth, the breadcrumbs for such a move have been there
for all to see. There has been pressure on Facebook and others to
shift data storage of Russian citizens’ information to Russia, and to
open offices and hire staff. And from time to time, the country’s
communication regulator threatens to take action against the U.S.
companies—as we saw in recent days with the allegation of election
interference. Now Mikhail Klimarev, the head of the Internet
Protection Society, has told me that plans for just such a ban are
being progressed—and this time, Russia’s lawmakers are serious about
following through. “I think YouTube, Facebook and Instagram will be
blocked,” he explained. “This was actually announced at a meeting of
the Federation Council.” The plan, he said, is for parliament to hold
“regular hearings about interference in Russia's internal affairs,”
leading to a case for action to be taken.”
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