Eye on Extremism
September 16, 2019
The
New York Times: Saudi Oil Attack Photos Implicate Iran, U.S. Says;
Trump Hints At Military Action
“The Trump administration intensified its focus on Iran Sunday as
the likely culprit behind attacks on important Saudi Arabian oil
facilities over the weekend, with officials citing intelligence
assessments to support the accusation and President Trump warning that
he was prepared to take military action. The government released
satellite photographs showing what officials said were at least 17
points of impact at several Saudi energy facilities from strikes they
said came from the north or northwest. That would be consistent with
an attack coming from the direction of the northern Persian Gulf, Iran
or Iraq, rather than from Yemen, where the Iranian-backed Houthi
militia that claimed responsibility for the strikes operates.
Administration officials, in a background briefing for reporters as
well as in separate interviews on Sunday, also said a combination of
drones and cruise missiles — “both and a lot of them,” as one senior
United States official put it — might have been used. That would
indicate a degree of scope, precision and sophistication beyond the
ability of the Houthi rebels alone.”
The
Financial Times: ISIS Gains Traction In Afghanistan As US Talks
Collapse
“Minutes after the younger brother of Afghanistan’s Taliban chief
rose to lead Friday prayers at a Pakistan mosque last month, a bomb
ripped through the building. The brother of top leader Mullah
Habatullah Akhundzada was one of five people killed in an attack
police link to Isis’s growing Afghanistan affiliate. The Islamist
movement is locked in a fierce rivalry with the Taliban, whose
influence straddles the border of the two countries. A surge of Isis
violence this year, including a horrific bombing at a Kabul wedding
that killed 63 people in August, and the assault on Taliban leadership
has revealed its increasing traction in war-ravaged Afghanistan.
Taliban hardliners angry about negotiations with the US over a troop
withdrawal in exchange for counter-terrorism pledges have joined Isis
in droves, said experts, raising fears of an Isis resurgence despite
it being ousted from its last remnants of territory in Syria this
year. “When Isis started to claim attacks in Kabul, they showcased
their power, arms and money,” said Kabir Taneja, from the Observer
Research Foundation in New Delhi. “You need a strong ecosystem to
conduct attacks in what the Taliban consider their sacred ground.”
CNN:
Trump Confirms Osama Bin Laden's Son Hamza Killed In US
Counterterrorism Operation
“President Donald Trump in a statement on Saturday said late al
Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's son Hamza bin Laden had been “killed in
a United States counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan
region.” He did not give a time period for the operation or the death.
“The loss of Hamza bin Ladin not only deprives al-Qa'ida of important
leadership skills and the symbolic connection to his father, but
undermines important operational activities of the group,” the
President said in the statement. Trump also said “Hamza bin Ladin was
responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups.”
CNN previously reported on July 31 that the US believed Hamza bin
Laden was dead. At that time, two defense officials with knowledge of
the operation told CNN that bin Laden had been killed at least several
months prior. CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank told CNN at the
time that one thing puzzled researchers who are closely tracking al
Qaeda: “If Hamza bin Laden has indeed been dead for months, you would
expect al Qaeda to have released some form of eulogy before today. The
fact they haven't is highly unusual, given his status in the
group.”
Voice
Of America: Somalia: Al-Shabab Attacks Kill 17
“The al-Shabab militant group launched a series of attacks since
Saturday that led to the death of at least 17 people in Somalia. Lower
Shabelle region officials told VOA Somali that the militants attacked
the town of Qoryoley late Saturday using rocket propelled grenades and
heavy machine guns, killing nine people. The town’s Mayor Sayid Ali
Ibrajim told VOA that an RPG fired by the militants caused most of the
casualties. Somali government forces with support from African Union
forces, who are based outside the town, repelled the attack, according
to officials. Some of the residents in Qoryoley alleged that heavy
weapons fired by AU troops caused some of the civilians casualties.
The Governor of the region Ibrahim Adan Najah told VOA Somali that
they are investigating the allegations. AMISOM forces did not
immediately respond to the allegations. Also in Lower Shabelle region
on Saturday, two civilians were killed after al-Shabab militants fired
mortars on the ancient port town of Marka during a visit by the Prime
Minister of Somalia Hassan Ai Khaire. Al-Shabab claimed they were
targeting the prime minister but the Governor Najah told VOA Somali
that the incident took place outside the town. Residents and security
sources said one of the mortars landed in a residential area killing
two women.”
Al
Jazeera: West African Leaders Pledge $1bn To Fight Armed
Groups
“West African leaders meeting in Burkina Faso have announced a
one-billion-dollar plan to combat rising insecurity in the Sahel
region. The pledge, to be funded from 2020 to 2024, was announced on
Saturday at the end of the Economic Community Summit of West African
States (ECOWAS) in Ouagadougou, where members of the bloc were joined
by Mauritania and Chad. ECOWAS had decided to mobilise “the financial
resources of up to a billion dollars for the fight against terrorism”,
said Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou. The money, paid into a
common fund, would help reinforce the military operations of the
countries involved - and those of the joint military operations in the
region. Full details of the plan would be presented to the next ECOWAS
summit in December. Fighters with links to the al-Qaeda and the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed groups have
strengthened their foothold across the arid Sahel region in recent
years, making large swathes of territory ungovernable and stoking
local ethnic violence, especially in Mali and Burkina Faso. Backed by
France, a multinational military force in the Sahel region began
operations in 2017, pulling troops from Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina
Faso and Mauritania in a bid to drive back the armed groups.”
Voice
Of America: Governments Increase Efforts Against Online Extremism,
Raising Hopes
Laura Pham, an expert with New York-based Counter Extremism
Project, argued that countries in Europe have particularly made
significant achievements through enacting transnational laws that
target online extremist content. “These efforts show that the EU as a
whole in parliament will not stand for the continued proliferation and
the spread of extremist and terrorist material online. We will
probably see more action from member states and from individual
states, but there is a clear public understanding of the potential
public safety and security concerns that come with proliferating
terrorist material online,” Pham told VOA."
United States
NBC
News: Two Arrested In Racist Attack On Black Student At University Of
Arizona
“Several dozen students at the University of Arizona on Friday
protested campus police handling of a physical and racist attack on a
black student this week. The protests took place less than an hour
after the university announced that the two assailants, who are white,
had been arrested and faced a misdemeanor count of assault. The
students, who haven't been identified, had initially been directed to
a social justice diversion training program instead of facing charges
in the Tuesday attack, according to the protesters. University of
Arizona President Robert C. Robbins said in a statement Thursday that
he was angered and disappointed by the incident. “We need to come
together and let people know, without qualification, that intolerance
and discrimination have no home here. Unless we have a safe
environment, free from violence, discrimination and hate, students
will not be free to learn and pursue their dreams,” Robbins said. A
police report released by the university's police department said
officers were called to the front of the Arbol de la Vida residence
hall about 11:20 p.m. Tuesday on a report that people were fighting.
The African American student told officers that two young white men
called him the n-word and punched him in the head, the report
says.”
The
Daily Caller: Qatar-Funded Group Engages In ‘Propagandistic
Activities’ While Divvying Out Millions To US Schools, Experts
Say
“A U.S.-based organization funded by Qatar and tasked with
furthering the allegedly terror-linked country’s national vision is
openly influencing K-12 public school curriculums across America. A
legal loophole allows it to do so without registering as a foreign
agent, but experts say the group has at times stretched that boundary
by pushing overt propaganda. The Washington, D.C.-based Qatar
Foundation International (QFI) has disbursed more than $30 million to
U.S. public schools to fund Arabic language programs, The Wall Street
Journal reported in 2017. Public documents and news reports indicate
the Doha, Qatar-based Qatar Foundation has funded QFI from its 2009
founding through at least 2017. The Qatar Foundation has been
registered as a foreign principal since 2006 and is tasked with
carrying out the vision of the country’s royal family. QFI memos state
that it exists to further the Middle Eastern nation’s goals, and its
executive director has stated publicly that her bosses include a
member of the Qatari royal family and the CEO of the foreign Qatar
Foundation. Despite this, QFI is not required to register under the
Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, because it says it’s
strictly an educational organization.”
Canada
Deseret
News: He Was A Neo-Nazi Leader. Now He’s Standing In A Synagogue
Seeking One Thing From His Jewish Audience
“In the days leading up to the Jewish high holidays in 2017, Tony
McAleer found himself on a stage with the rabbi of Temple Sholom in
his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. A YouTube video of the
event shows a somewhat nervous, yet resigned, McAleer listening to
Rabbi Dan Moskovitz explain the observance of Slichot or the offering
of prayers for divine forgiveness that begin a process of reflection
and repentance during the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
Setting up the evening in the context of repentance and forgiveness is
more than just a refresher for the 100 or so congregants. They were
about to hear an apology from a man who accelerated his descent into
the violent world of anti-semitism and white supremacy just outside
the synagogue where they were now assembled. McAleer would rise to
become a leader and spokesman of the neo-Nazi movement in Canada in
the 1990s before making the long, difficult journey to a “former.” He
is a co-founder of Life After Hate, which supports people escaping the
intoxicating social and ideological clutches of white supremacy. The
organization also consults with government and law enforcement seeking
to understand what makes a white supremacist tick so they can better
address the rise of anti-semitic, anti-immigrant and racist sentiment
fueling violence in the United States and around the world.”
Syria
The
National: Syria: Car Bomb Kills 11 Civilians In Rebel-Held
Area
“A car bomb near a hospital in a town held by Turkey-backed Syrian
rebels in northern Syria killed 11 civilians on Sunday, a monitor
said. The blast struck in Al Rai near the Turkish border, the
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. There was no
immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing near the town's
entrance, the second such deadly blast in the wider rebel-held area
since June. A member of the rebel security forces, Osama Abu Al Kheir,
told AFP that a refrigerator truck blew up outside a healthcare
centre. The deputy head of the town council, Alaa Al Hammad, said the
truck appeared to have been detonated by remote control. A pharmacist
and two of his children were among those killed, he said, adding that
nearby homes were reduced to rubble. Turkish troops and allied Syrian
rebels launched a military operation against both ISIS and Kurdish
fighters in northern Syria in 2016, seizing Al Rai and the nearby town
of Azaz. In June, another car bomb killed 19 people near a bustling
market and mosque in Azaz. Ankara keeps Turkish troops and
intelligence forces in the area, and it backs Syrian rebels serving as
police officers. Turkish troops and Syrian rebels also seized the
northwestern enclave of Afrin to the west of Al Rai from Kurdish
fighters last year.”
The
Defense Post: Syrian Government Labels SDF ‘Separatist Terrorist
Militias’ Ahead Of Ankara Talks
“In a rare shift of rhetoric, Syria’s foreign ministry labeled the
Syrian Democratic Forces as “separatist terrorist militias” in a
letter to United Nations Secretary-General. The letter accuses the SDF
of operating in line with “schemes” by the United States and Israel
and says the Syrian government will “liberate” territories captured by
the militias, state news agency SANA reported on Sunday, September 15,
ahead of a Monday meeting of the presidents of Russia, Iran and Turkey
to discuss Syria. According to SANA, the letter claims the SDF has
moved on from taking part in “committing crimes of the “International
Coalition” against the Syrian people,” accusing the SDF of now
“kidnapping, torturing, killing and displacing civilians.” An alliance
of militias led by the predominantly Kurdish People’s Protection Units
(YPG) and supported by the U.S.-led international Coalition against
Islamic State, the SDF fought the ground war against the jihadist
group, capturing nearly all Syrian territory east of the Euphrates
river between 2016 and 2019. The General Command of the SDF in a
Sunday statement said the government was “making fake accusations
against our forces,” noting that 11,000 fighters were killed and
24,000 injured battling ISIS.”
Iran
The
Wall Street Journal: Iran’s Return Handshake
“Since President Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal,
the Islamic Republic has tested U.S. resolve with military escalation
across the Middle East. Likely Iranian involvement in attacks on Saudi
oil production over the weekend marks a new phase in this
destabilizing campaign, and it’s no coincidence this happened as Mr.
Trump is considering a softer approach to Tehran. Saudi Arabia reduced
daily oil production by about 5.7 million barrels after strikes
against facilities in the country’s east on Saturday. Iran-backed
Houthi rebels claimed credit, though Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
tweeted that Iran was responsible and there was “no evidence the
attacks came from Yemen.” Iran denies this, but it usually uses
proxies to avoid a direct confrontation and there are no other
plausible culprits. This is more than a local dispute between two
regional powers. The attacks have caused a roughly 5% reduction in
global daily oil production. The Saudis have promised to dip into
reserves to offset the losses, but oil prices could rise and harm an
already fragile global economy if the Kingdom isn’t able to restore
production fast enough.”
The
New York Times: Iran Rules Out Meeting Between Trump And
Rouhani
“Iran has dismissed the possibility of a meeting between the
country’s president, Hassan Rouhani, and President Trump on the
sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week, the
country’s state-run news media reported on Monday. “Neither is such a
plan on our agenda nor will such a thing happen,” Seyed Abbas Mousavi,
a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said at a news
conference, according to Fars, a state-run outlet. “This meeting will
not be held.” Mr. Mousavi added that if the United States “stops
economic terrorism and returns to the nuclear deal, then they may sit
at a corner and be present within the framework of the nuclear deal
member states.” His comments come after an attack on two major oil
installations in Saudi Arabia on Saturday further escalated tensions
between Iran and the United States. The Houthi rebels in Yemen, who
receive support from Iran, claimed responsibility for the strikes, but
the Trump administration has accused Tehran of being behind the
attack.”
CNN:
Australia Names Academic Held In Iran For Almost A
Year
“The Australia government has identified the person who has been
held in Iran for almost a year as university lecturer Kylie
Moore-Gilbert. Moore-Gilbert is one of three Australian citizens
detained in Iran, according to the government. The other two
Australians were previously identified as Jolie Ellen King and Mark
Firkin. News of the arrests came amid tensions between Iran and United
States and its allies, including Australia and the UK. Since the
decision by US President Donald Trump in 2018 to abandon the Iran
nuclear deal, Washington has attempted to use what it calls "maximum
pressure" to change Iran's behavior and limit its nuclear ambitions.
Earlier this year, tensions between the US and Iran soared to levels
that prompted fears of a conflict. Oil prices jumped as investors
feared that attacks on oil tankers risked a disruption of shipments in
the Strait of Hormuz, which passes by Iran and is the most important
place on the planet to the global supply of oil.”
Iraq
Foreign
Policy: They Left To Join ISIS. Now Europe Is Leaving Their Citizens
To Die In Iraq
“There was no other way out. After months under siege in the Syrian
city of Raqqa, the Belgian Islamic State member Bilal al-Marchohi
decided to escape. He fled his post as a religious police officer at
the break of dawn on August 29, 2017, and ran with his wife and son to
the closest enemy checkpoint. With his arms up, he handed himself over
to the Kurdish militants in the hope of eventually being repatriated
to Belgium. The family was immediately separated, and his spouse and
child were transferred to a nearby Islamic State relatives camp. Along
with other jihadi comrades, al-Marchohi was driven to a prison near
the city of Tabqa, where he was interrogated by U.S. officials on his
role in the organization, his closest companions, and on weaponry
manufacturing. The 23-year-old jihadi told them he used to attend the
Friday prayers at De Koepel mosque in Antwerp, whose imam, Youssef,
ended up joining the fight in Syria. Al-Marchohi waited until he
turned 18 to cross the Turkish-Syrian border with his girlfriend and
other acquaintances, first joining the Nusra Front and later deserting
to the Islamic State, after internal clashes erupted within the armed
opposition brigades.”
Iraqi
News: Iraqi Police Arrest Four Islamic State Jihadists In
Mosul
“Iraqi police announced on Sunday that four Islamic State militants
were arrested during a security operation in Mosul city. The four
terrorists were nabbed in al Haramat district in the western side of
Mosul, Nineveh Police Chief Brigadier General Hamad al-Jabouri told
Iraq’s privately-owned IKH News website. “Three of them were members
of Islamic State’s Jund (soldiers) diwan and fought against security
forces during the security operations to liberate Mosul from
terrorism,” he added. All legal procedures were taken against the
arrestees, he noted. 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.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Iraq: ISIS Resorts To Fish Farming In Kanaous For
Financing
“The ISIS terror organization began regrouping its ranks whether by
moving to mountains and deserts, or using propaganda to boost the
morale of its elements, especially after the recent emergence of its
leader in April, five years after his first appearance at al-Nuri
mosque in Mosul. ISIS resurgence comes after a series of strikes,
which the extremist group received since its military defeat by Iraqi
forces in late 2017. However, the recent surprise was in the large
number of ISIS militants on Kanaous island, south of Saladin province,
along the Tigris River, which is a transit point for ISIS travelers to
Iraq. The island was air bombed by US aircraft given that it was
difficult to attack from the ground. The aircraft took satellite
images showing the state of the island after the bombardment.
According to the international coalition, its planes dropped 36 tons
of bombs on the island, which is teeming with ISIS extremists. The
coalition said the raids by F-15s and F-35s targeted the island. The
spokesman for joint operations in the Ministry of Defense announced
the death of 25 terrorists in the raids carried by coalition aircraft.
The attack is part of the Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition
operations against ISIS, dubbed “Will to Victory.”
Turkey
The
Washington Post: Leaders Of Iran, Russia, Turkey Meet Over Syria
Conflict
“The leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey are to meet in the Turkish
capital of Ankara on Monday to discuss the situation in Syria, with
the aim of halting fighting in the country’s northwestern province of
Idlib and finding a lasting political solution to Syria’s civil war,
now in its ninth year. Topping the agenda of the meeting is the
volatile situation in Idlib — the last remaining rebel stronghold in
Syria — where a cease-fire went into effect at the end of August,
following a wide four-month offensive by government forces. The
cease-fire has been holding despite some violations that left six
people dead last week. A major conflict in Idlib has raised the
possibility of a mass refugee flow to Turkey, which already hosts 3.6
million Syrian refugees. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians, some
already displaced from other parts of the war-torn country, have moved
toward Turkey’s border to flee Syrian airstrikes, backed by
Russia."
Afghanistan
The
Wall Street Journal: Taliban Negotiators Meet With Russian Officials
After Trump Ends Talks
“Taliban negotiators have held talks with Russian officials in
Moscow, in an apparent effort to restart discussions with the U.S.
just days after President Trump killed a nearly completed deal to
withdraw American forces from Afghanistan and declared negotiations
with the insurgent group dead. The Taliban’s representatives met
President Vladimir Putin ’s envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, on
Friday in the Russian capital, the state news agency Tass said. Suhail
Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, confirmed on Saturday that the
consultations had taken place. Neither Mr. Shaheen nor the Russian
government disclosed the agenda of the discussions. The Russian
Foreign Ministry said Taliban officials confirmed their interest in
continued talks with Washington. During the discussions, Mr. Kabulov
also stressed the importance of resuming the U.S.-Taliban talks,
Russia’s Interfax news agency said. The meeting in Moscow follow a
tumultuous week in the Afghan peace process and efforts to reach a
negotiated settlement of the nearly 18-year war—as well as a turbulent
spell for Washington’s foreign-policy establishment. In a tweet last
Saturday, President Trump canceled a secret meeting with Afghan and
Taliban officials at Camp David and killed a proposed U.S.-Taliban
troop-withdrawal deal.”
Bloomberg:
Taliban Seeking Support To Force U.S. From
Afghanistan
“The Taliban sent a team to Russia, and plans to visit China, Iran
and Central Asian states to gauge support for the U.S. to be forced to
leave Afghanistan, Reuters reported, citing the group’s officials. The
group wants to keep regional leaders informed about the breakdown of
the talks and U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend the
process just before a peace treaty, the report said, citing an
unidentified a senior Taliban leader. The planned visits are not
intended to try to resume talks with the U.S., according to the
report. Discussions between Trump and the Taliban were called off and
the American envoy to Afghanistan was recalled after the U.S. leader
said he canceled secret meetings at Camp David, intended to allow for
a draw-down of American forces after 18 years in the war-torn
country.”
Reuters:
Two Afghan Taliban Shadow Governors Killed As Air Strikes Step
Up
“Afghan security forces, backed by U.S. air strikes, killed two of
the movement’s shadow provincial governors on Sunday, as fighting
stepped up in the wake of the collapse of talks aimed at ending the
conflict, officials said. The operations, launched on Saturday night,
were aimed at foiling attacks planned by the Taliban on Afghan forces,
said a senior security official in the capital Kabul, adding that
clashes have escalated following the collapse of diplomatic talks
between the United States and the Taliban. The defense ministry in a
statement said at least 85 Taliban fighters were killed in a joint
ground and air operation in southern Paktika province on Saturday
night. The figure was rejected by the Taliban, who said seven
fighters had been killed and 11 wounded while casualties among the
security forces were over 20. “The rest of the claims are baseless,”
the movement’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. Clashes between the
hardline insurgent group and Afghan forces intensified in northern
Samangan province on Saturday where the Taliban’s shadow provincial
governor, Mawlavi Nooruddin, was killed along with four fighters in an
air strike in Dara-e-Soof Payeen district, local officials said.”
Xinhua:
Over 110 Militants Killed As Afghan Forces Increase Pressure:
Officials
“More than 110 militants have been killed in Afghanistan over the
past 24 hours as government forces have increased pressure on the
Taliban outfit, officials said Sunday. In the latest crackdown, the
government forces launched massive offensive from the ground and air
against the Taliban in Yangi Qala district of the northern Takhar
province Sunday morning. Besides recapturing the restive district and
killing five armed militants including their commander Mullah Wazir,
the military also attacked Taliban positions in the neighboring Darqad
district, provincial government spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hajari said.
Similarly, fighting aircrafts stormed a Taliban hideout in Dara-e-Suf
Payan district of the northern Samangan province on the same day
Sunday, killing 12 militants including Mawlawi Noorudin, the shadow
governor of the armed group for the troubled province, army spokesman
in the northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai told Xinhua. Seven more
militants have been killed in Garziwan district of the northern Faryab
province over the past 24 hours, Rezai added. More than 90 militants
have been killed and 20 others injured as security forces backed by
fighting planes stormed Taliban hideouts in parts of the eastern
Paktika province since Saturday, provincial police spokesman Shah
Mohammad Aryan said.”
CBS
News: Afghan Security Chief Warns Of "Connections" Between Foreign
Extremists And The West
“A U.S. airstrike killed a major ISIS recruiter in eastern
Afghanistan. No other details are known, but this comes as ISIS, al
Qaeda and the Taliban are all increasing their attacks in Afghanistan.
The Taliban may have doubled down on their efforts to gain leverage
over the U.S. in recent talks, but Brigadier General Khoshal Sadat
told CBS News they paid a heavy price. "We inflicted a huge amount of
casualties, it's been unprecedented. Within a matter of hours,
hundreds of them just gone," Sadat said. The country's top security
chief issued a sober warning to Americans. "We have seen connections,
communications between ISIS fighters and some al Qaeda here and Europe
and the United States," Sadat said. Contact between ISIS and al Qaeda
operatives in Afghanistan and the U.S. is the very reason why U.S.
forces invaded the country in the first place. The mission then and
now, is to destroy Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. Eighteen years
on, that terrorist group is still in Afghanistan.”
Pakistan
The
Washington Post: Kashmiris Allege Night Terror By Indian Troops In
Crackdown
“The Indian soldiers descended on Bashir Ahmed Dar’s house in
southern Kashmir on Aug. 10, a few days after the government in New
Delhi stripped the disputed Himalayan region of its statehood and
launched a crackdown. Over the next 48 hours, the 50-year-old plumber
said he suffered two separate rounds of beatings by soldiers. They
demanded that he find his younger brother, who had joined rebels
opposing India’s presence in the Muslim majority region, and persuade
him to surrender or else “face the music.” In the second beating, at a
military camp, Dar said he was struck with sticks by three soldiers
until he was unconscious. He woke up at home, “unable to sit on my
bruised and bloodied buttocks and aching back,” he added. But it
wasn’t over. On Aug. 14, soldiers returned to his house in the village
of Heff Shirmal and destroyed his family’s supply of rice and other
foodstuffs by mixing it with fertilizer and kerosene. Dar’s account of
violence and intimidation by Indian soldiers was not unusual. In more
than 50 interviews, residents in a dozen villages in Kashmir told The
Associated Press that the military had raided their homes since
India’s government imposed a security crackdown in the region Aug.
5.”
The
New York Times: Abused By Soldiers And Militants, Kashmiris Face
Dangers In Daily Life
“Four men carrying pistols and wearing black masks knocked a week
ago on the Hamidullah family’s gate. Furious that the wealthy apple
traders had violated their ban on doing business, the militants
announced that there was a price to pay. They took three men into a
sitting room in this Kashmiri town and shot them in the leg, right
below their knees. When 5-year-old Asma Jaan heard her father scream,
she ran into the room to see what was wrong. The militants shot her,
too. Now, confused and in pain, she lies bandaged up in a hospital bed
and may not be able to walk for months. “This has never happened
before, that they hit out at a 5-year-old so mercilessly,” said her
distraught aunt Nighat. As the crisis in the Kashmir region drags into
its sixth week, a visit by a New York Times journalist showed that the
violence is morphing. The tensions, set off by India’s swift and
unilateral decision last month to wipe out Kashmir’s autonomy, are no
longer as simple as protesters pelting security officers with rocks
and the officers firing shotguns back. Kashmiri separatists are
conducting their own reign of terror, threatening or even attacking
civilians in a campaign to destroy any semblance of normality that may
be creeping back after more than a month of heavy military
crackdowns.”
Voice
Of America: Militant Fire From Across Afghan Border Kills 4 Pakistani
Soldiers
“Pakistan said Saturday that four of its soldiers were killed and
another was injured when “terrorists” from across the Afghanistan
border opened fire at two locations. The deadliest of the shootings
occurred in the remote Dir district where Pakistani troops were
building a border fence. They came under attack from the other side;
three soldiers were killed and another was injured. The military’s
media wing said another soldier was killed when “miscreants” from the
Afghan side ambushed a routine border patrol party late Friday in
North Waziristan district. It added that two of the assailants were
also killed in an exchange of fire. The Foreign Ministry later
summoned the Afghan charge d' affaires in Islamabad to lodge a “strong
protest” about the deadly attack on security personnel building the
border fence. Cross-border militant attacks are not uncommon on
Pakistani troops constructing a fence along the country’s nearly 2,600
kilometer border with Afghanistan. Islamabad began the unilateral
fencing of the largely porous frontier two years ago to plug hundreds
of informal crossings that were encouraging terrorist infiltration in
both directions. Military officials expect the massive border project
will be in place by end of next year, addressing to a large extent
mutual concerns of illegal crossings of both militants and drug
traffickers.”
Yemen
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Yemeni Security Officials Say Houthis Killed 13
Civilians
“Yemeni security officials said on Saturday that shelling by Houthi
militias has killed at least 13 civilians in the provinces of Hodeida
and Taiz. The victims included women and children, the Associated
Press (AP) reported. The officials said the attacks killed at least 11
people, including six from one family, south of the Red Sea city of
Hodeida in the past 24 hours. They also said another two children were
killed by mortar fire late Friday in the Salih district in the
southwestern province of Taiz. The officials were not authorized to
brief the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. According to AP,
Yemen's war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and thrust millions
to the brink of famine.”
Arab
News: Houthis To Blame For Thousands Missing In Yemen Says Rights
Group
“The Houthis are responsible for the disappearance of more than
3,500 people in four years, according to a report by the Yemeni
Coalition for Monitoring Human Rights Violations. The arrests of 3,544
people were carried out across Yemen between September, 2014 and
December 2018, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. Those who have
disappeared include 64 children, 15 women and 72 elderly people. Now
the Arab coalition has called on the international community to
pressure the Houthi militia to reveal the whereabouts of the
disappeared.”
Saudi Arabia
The
Washington Post: Saudi Arabia Oil Output Takes Major Hit After
Apparent Drone Attacks Claimed By Yemen Rebels
“Explosions and towering fireballs struck the heart of Saudi
Arabia’s oil empire on Saturday in an apparent wave of drone attacks
claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The blows knocked out more than half
the kingdom’s oil output for days or more and threatened to drive up
already high tensions between Iran and its foes in the Persian Gulf.
The predawn blasts on facilities of the state-run oil giant Aramco —
which the rebel group claimed were carried out by a fleet of 10 drones
— marked one of the most devastating strikes into Saudi territory
claimed by the Iranian-allied Houthis in more than four years of war
in Yemen. It was also the most serious attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil
infrastructure in decades, which includes barrages of Scud missiles
fired by Saddam Hussein’s forces during the 1991 Gulf War. A NASA
satellite image showed what appeared to be a long streak of black
smoke flowing to the southwest from the Aramco site. An Aramco
statement said production of 5.7 million barrels of crude was
suspended by the attack from “projectiles.” That represents more than
half of the kingdom’s output and about 6 percent of global oil supply
— a shortfall that could send oil prices sharply higher.”
CNN:
Saudi Attack Likely Originated In Iran Or Iraq, Senior Administration
Official Says
“A day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the
attack on Saudi oil facilities and argued there is “no evidence the
attacks came from Yemen,” a senior administration official briefed CNN
on information to back up Pompeo's claims. The official pointed to the
angle at which Saudi oil facilities were attacked, the numbers of
points of impact and other information to argue that it is unlikely
the attacks were carried out by Yemen. Instead, the official suggested
the attack most likely originated in Iran or Iraq. “It is very
difficult to see how these things could have come from anywhere but
Iran or Iraq,” the senior administration official said. The official
said 19 Saudi targets were struck in Saturday's attack and argued that
such an attack could not be carried out with 10 drones, which the
Houthis claimed to have used. “You can't hit 19 targets with 10 drones
like that,” the official said. The official, drawing on commercial
satellite imagery shared with CNN, also noted that “all the points of
impact on Saudi facilities were on the northwest side of them, which
is somewhat difficult to do from Yemen.” The official could not say
whether it's possible drones from Yemen could have angled around to
attack northwest facilities.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Crown Prince: Saudi Arabia Capable Of Confronting Terrorist
Attack
“Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Defense received on Saturday a telephone call
from US President Donald Trump, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
During the conversation, the US President told the Crown Prince that
Washington was ready to work with the Kingdom to guarantee its
security and stability, SPA said. According to the state-run agency,
Trump said the attacks on two Aramco facilities had a negative impact
on the American as well as global economies. The Crown Prince said
Riyadh had the will and capability to confront this “terrorist
attack”, SPA added.”
Lebanon
The
Jerusalem Post: Hezbollah's New Missile 'Capable Of Destroying All
Military Battleships'
“The twitter account affiliated with Hezbollah posted a photo of
the terror organization's new missile on Sunday afternoon, which he
says is capable of destroying all military battleships. “Our new
missile is capable of destroying all military battleships, killing all
who are on board,” wrote the Hezbollah activist, who often posts
photos of South Lebanon Army (SLA) members and their families who have
moved to Israel, announcing that they are being called to trial. In
August, Hezbollah released footage and pictures of the anti-ship
missile that struck the INS Hanit during the 2006 Second Lebanon War,
an incident that killed four Israeli soldiers in one of the most
significant attacks against the IDF in the war. In a documentary
called #Army_To_Be_Drowned aired on Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV channel
marking the war the group aired reconnaissance footage of the ship
from the Lebanese coastline, preparations for the launch of the
missile, the operations room which directed the strike as well as
nighttime footage which showed the impact of the Chinese-made C-802
anti-ship cruise missile. According to al-Manar, Hezbollah’s navy
commander “Hajj Jalal” said the rocket was launched from the Beirut
suburb of Ouzai after “the Zionist enemy esaclated its attacks on
various Lebanese areas.”
The
National: US Treasury: Hezbollah Illicit Activities Involve Lebanon’s
Airport And Seaports
“Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing
Marshall Billingslea warned that US sanctions on the Lebanese militant
group Hezbollah will target anyone that provides material support for
the group, regardless of the sectarian or political affiliation.
Speaking at the Atlantic Council in Washington on Friday, Mr
Billingslea appeared buoyant on the impact of the Trump administration
sanctions on Iran and its juggernaut proxy, Hezbollah. “Our efforts
are having a clear impact, leaving Iran with scarce funds to spend in
its perfidious pursuits,” he said. “Hezbollah is also feeling the
squeeze - its fighters have been furloughed or assigned to reserves,
where they earn far lower salaries, its media employees laid off,
payment to families slashed,” the US official argued. These sanctions
are expected to continue. Over the summer, Washington has put
increased pressure on Hezbollah and sanctioned its security official
Wafic Safa and ranking parliamentarian Mohamad Raad in July.”
Middle East
Asia
Times: ISIS Comeback Increasingly Likely
“In politics, as in life, the urgent always trumps the important.
The urgent question about ISIS these days is the fate of thousands of
foreign former fighters now languishing in limbo in makeshift prisons.
The countries these militants come from are reluctant to take them
back. Not surprisingly, the Syrian Kurdish forces who did most of the
legwork against this murderous cult are frustrated by the lack of
gratitude and have threatened to release the ISIS prisoners they hold.
The problem is certainly urgent and needs attention. The less urgent –
but much more important – challenge, however, centers on a very
different question: Is an ISIS comeback possible? The short answer is
“yes.” There is no doubt that the so-called caliphate has been
defeated at the military level. But military defeats rarely equal
strategic victories when it comes to fighting jihadist groups.
Eradicating the ideology of violent jihadism is much harder than
physically decimating its foot soldiers. Most crucially, the political
and economic conditions that led to the emergence of ISIS have not
been addressed.”
Egypt
Xinhua:
Egyptian Police Kill Terrorist Group In North Sinai
“Egyptian police forces killed a terrorist group during a shootout
in the country's restive North Sinai Province, Egyptian Ministry of
Interior announced Sunday. Three officers and one policeman were also
injured in the exchange of fire, the ministry said in a statement.
According to the statement, the national security sector obtained
information that terrorist elements were present in the Gilbana area
of North Sinai and were preparing and planning a series of attacks
against the armed forces and police. The ministry said police forces
spotted the terrorists inside a pickup truck, adding that the
terrorists fired heavily at the police once they realized they were
tightly cordoned. The exchange of fire resulted in the death of all
the terrorists, the ministry said, revealing that a number of
automatic guns and tools used in the manufacture of bombs were found
in the truck. The truck was reported to be stolen on September 9 from
a citizen while traveling in Gilbana, according to the statement. Also
in Gilbana, a member of the same group was killed during a shootout
when the police besieged his hideout, the statement added. The police
said the national security spotted his hiding place according to
trusted information. Terrorism has been plaguing Egypt since the 2013
ouster by the military of former President Mohamed Morsi, who died in
court in June, in response to mass protests against his government and
his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.”
Nigeria
The
Washington Post: Nigerian Children Who Escaped Boko Haram Say They
Faced Another ‘Prison’: Military Detention
“Four hundred nights. Fatima counted each one as she lay on the
ground with her toddler, crammed between strangers, swatting away
mosquitoes in a room that stank of feces. She remembers thinking: Why
did I escape the terrorists for this? “Boko Haram treated us better,”
she said, tears sliding down her cheeks. Fatima, now 18, is among
thousands of children detained in recent years by Nigerian armed
forces — including many who had fled extremist captors — amid a
decade-long conflict that often turns victims into suspects. Defense
officials deny claims of abusive confinement and say they must vet
everyone who emerges from the restive countryside: Boko Haram and
other Islamist groups in Nigeria’s northeast are known for sending
children to carry out attacks. But human rights advocates say
conditions in the holding centers are so appalling they thwart the
military’s goal of protecting — and deradicalizing — young people by
breeding resentment of the government. In interviews with The
Washington Post, seven children who spent time in the Giwa barracks
near the city of Maiduguri, as well as other military facilities, said
they were allowed no outside contact. None of the seven, now ages 10
to 18, met with lawyers.”
Reuters:
Islamic State Fills The Void In Nigeria As Soldiers Retreat To 'Super
Camps'
“When Islamic State gunmen stormed the northeast Nigerian town of
Magumeri on the night of August 21, they had free rein. Nigerian
soldiers had left the town earlier that month under a new strategy of
withdrawing to “super camps” that can be more easily defended against
insurgents the army has been struggling to contain for a
decade. Unchallenged, the Islamist militants torched a clinic in
Magumeri, ransacked government buildings and looted shops before
returning to another town they had raided that night called Gubio,
residents said. The new military strategy announced by President
Muhammadu Buhari in July to concentrate soldiers in big bases is
designed to give troops a secure platform from which they can respond
quickly to threats in the region and raid militant camps. People
familiar with the military’s thinking and security officials, however,
say the new tactic for fighting Islamic State’s West Africa branch and
Boko Haram is mainly an attempt to stem casualties. The military did
not respond to requests for more details about its strategy or the
impact it will have on the region. ”We strongly believe the days of BH
(Boko Haram) moving freely and passing in between static defensive
locations are over,” Major General Olusegun Adeniyi, who commands the
anti-insurgency operation, told reporters last month.”
The
Defense Post: Cameroon Soldiers Killed In ‘Boko Haram’ Attack Near
Fotokol
“Six Cameroonian soldiers were killed in the Far North Region near
the border with Nigeria in an attack blamed on “Boko Haram,”
authorities said on Sunday. Nine other soldiers were injured in the
attack on a military post at Soueram near Fotokol in the Lake Chad
area by armed men, an army officer and two high-ranking officials in
the local administration told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Fotokol is a major crossing point to Gamboru on the Nigeria side of
the border. CamerounWeb on Sunday reported the attack occurred
overnight on Friday, September 13, and the casualty toll as five
soldiers killed and eight injured. One of the officials told AFP that
five soldiers died during the attack and a sixth died from his
injuries on Sunday. The number was confirmed by the other official, as
well as an army officer, who also said the killers were members of
Boko Haram. On June 10, 17 Cameroon soldiers were killed in an attack
in the same region. It is unclear which faction of Boko Haram carried
out the Soueram attack.”
Somalia
Bloomberg:
Al-Shabaab Militants Kill Eight Government Officials In
Somalia
“At least eight government officials were killed in Somalia in
attacks claimed by al-Shabaab militants. The deputy governor of
Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region was among five people killed when a
roadside bomb hit the vehicle they were traveling in, Mohamed Abdi
Ware, president of Hirshabelle state, said Saturday. Ware’s adviser
was also killed in the same attack. In a separate raid, three
district-administration officers were forced out of their homes in
Beled Hawo town near Somalia’s border with Kenya, shot and killed,
according to the region’s authorities. Al-Shabaab claimed
responsibility for the attacks on Radio Andalus, a Somali-based
broadcaster that backs the militants who have waged an insurgency in
the Horn of Africa since 2006 in a bid to impose their version of
Islamic law.”
North Korea
The
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Treasury Sanctions North Korean Cyber
Groups
“The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on three
hacking operations it says are run by North Korean intelligence
services and have stolen millions from banks and others around the
world. The groups are allegedly run by North Korea’s primary
intelligence bureau, the Reconnaissance General Bureau. U.S. officials
say they and others directed by Pyongyang represent a key source of
revenue for the government. That illicit finance is used by the
government to fund its weapons programs and to insulate it against the
global sanctions program meant to coerce leader Kim Jong Un into
giving up his nuclear weapons, officials say. The sanctions freeze any
assets those entities may have within U.S.’s jurisdiction and prevent
anyone involved with them from traveling to the U.S. Members of the
groups also are at risk of being sanctioned themselves.”
The
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Targets North Korean Hacking As Rising
National-Security Threat
“New U.S. sanctions against North Korean hackers and revelations
about North Korean malware show how Pyongyang’s cyber operations have
become a crucial revenue stream and a security threat that soon could
rival its weapons program, U.S. and industry officials say. North
Korea’s hacks of financial systems and critical infrastructure
world-wide reveal sophisticated cyber capabilities developed to
counter global sanctions and expand Pyongyang’s geopolitical power,
according to these officials. The U.S. Treasury Department, in
blacklisting the three hacking groups allegedly run by North Korea’s
primary intelligence service, said Friday they collectively were
responsible for operations across 10 countries, stealing hundreds of
millions of dollars from banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, pilfering
military secrets, destabilizing infrastructure and intimidating
adversaries. Treasury says one collective, called Lazarus Group, and
two subsidiaries, known as Bluenoroff and Andariel, have stolen around
$700 million in the last three years and have attempted to steal
nearly $2 billion.”
Associated
Press: N. Korea Says Talks With US Could Resume In A ‘Few
Weeks’
“North Korea said Monday that diplomatic talks with the United
States could resume in a “few weeks,” but that it will not consider
abandoning its nuclear weapons unless external threats are fully
removed. A statement Monday attributed to a North Korean foreign
ministry official said potential upcoming working-level talks would be
decisive in determining the fate of the country’s diplomacy with
Washington. It called for unspecified U.S. security and economic
concessions, saying the discussions of North Korea’s denuclearization
will only be possible when “threats and hurdles endangering our system
security and obstructing our development are clearly removed beyond
all doubt.” “Whether the DPRK-U.S. negotiations will be a window for
chance or an occasion to precipitate crisis is entirely up to the
U.S.,” the statement said, referring to North Korea by its formal
name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Negotiations have
stalled since a February summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong
Un and President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, collapsed over
disagreements over sanctions relief in exchange for disarmament
measures.”
United Kingdom
BBC
News: Bomb Team Searches Maidenhead Property After Terror
Arrest
“Counter terrorism officers and a bomb disposal team are searching
a property in Maidenhead after a man was arrested on suspicion of
terrorism offences. Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South
East (CTPSE) arrested the 52-year-old Berkshire man under the
Terrorism Act on Friday afternoon. He has since been released on bail.
Despite the involvement of the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team,
CTPSE said there was “no immediate risk to the public”. It said it was
working with “partner agencies to ensure necessary safeguarding
assessments are conducted.”
Europe
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Eu Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Says Many ISIS Militants
Back From Conflict Zones
“Many ISIS members have actually returned to Europe, said EU
Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles De Kerchove. He added that some
have been killed in fighting areas and others’ fate is unknown as they
might have gone to Libya or Afghanistan. In his statement to Asharq
Al-Awsat, De Kerchove warned of ISIS activities elsewhere, following
their defeat in Syria and Iraq, with the continued activity of their
leaders there so far. The European official pointed to the terrorist
group’s activities in other parts of the world. His remarks were made
on the sidelines of launching the first European anti-terrorism
judicial record under the supervision of the European Justice Agency
(Eurojust). Responding to a question on the importance of this
judicial record, De Kerchove said it aims at linking parts of the case
together in order to have access to its details. Intelligence and
security agencies exchange information and this is what we need to do
for judicial information, he explained. Such record allows concerned
parties to know about the ongoing trials and verdicts, which
facilitates linking figures and organizations and finding the
relationship between terrorism and organized crime, he further noted.
Regarding the return of European foreign fighters from conflict zones,
he said “there is no unified decision on the European fighters
detained in Syria and Iraq.”
Technology
The
Washington Post: From Helicopter Repairman To Leader Of The Internet’s
‘Darkest Reaches’: The Life And Times Of 8chan Owner Jim
Watkins
“He was an unknown former U.S. Army repairman of attack helicopters
when he arrived in the Philippines in 2001, where he would run
websites featuring Japanese pornography, tend to a pig farm and pursue
his interests in yoga and fountain pens. Jim Watkins also would become
the face of one of the Internet’s most notorious sites, 8chan,
defending the anonymous message board as a beacon of free speech even
as it became a platform for announcing and celebrating mass murder.
Subpoenaed by the House Homeland Security Committee, Watkins, now 55,
came to Washington last week for closed-door questioning by
congressional staff on the site that before its recent collapse had
styled itself “the darkest reaches of the Internet.” But 8chan was
only the most infamous of Watkins’s strange and tangled business web,
which expanded for years from a shabby Manila office to millions of
computers around the world — fueled by the strange chemistry of the
Internet, where virtually anyone can turn a few servers into an online
kingdom with its own culture, followers and code.”
The
New York Times: House Antitrust Panel Seeks Documents From 4 Big Tech
Firms
“Congress showed the breadth of its investigation into the big tech
companies on Friday, making a public demand for scores of documents,
including the personal emails and other communications from dozens of
top executives. Republicans and Democrats alike on the House Judiciary
Committee, which is investigating the market power and behavior of the
companies, sent letters directly to Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tim Cook of
Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Larry Page of Google. The
requests called for all communications to and from eight executives at
Amazon, 14 at Apple, 15 at Facebook and 14 at Google. With the
request, which was posted on the committee’s website, the lawmakers
sent a not-so-subtle message that executives would be held responsible
for the replies, and that the investigation would continue to play out
publicly. That has the potential of damaging the brands’
reputations.”
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