Eye on Extremism
July 16, 2019
BBC:
Italy Seizes 'Combat-Ready' Missile In Raids On Far
Right
“Anti-terrorism police in northern Italy have seized an air-to-air
missile and other sophisticated weapons during raids on far-right
extremist groups. Three people were arrested, two of them near Forli
airport. Neo-Nazi propaganda was also seized. The raids were part of
an investigation into Italian far-right involvement in the conflict in
eastern Ukraine, the Turin police said. The missile originated from
the Qatari armed forces, the police said. The Turin special police
force, called Digos, led the operations, assisted by police in Milan,
Varese, Forli and Novara. Italian media named those arrested as Fabio
Del Bergiolo, 50, an Italian ex-customs officer and far-right Forza
Nuova party activist; Alessandro Monti, 42, a Swiss national; and
Fabio Bernardi, 51, also Italian. Initially, on 15 July, the police
said the arrests were part of an investigation, started about a year
ago, into far-right groups "who have fought in Ukraine's Donbass
region against the separatists.”
Iraqi
News: Twin Suicide Blasts Kill Two People, Wound 20 In
Baghdad
“At least two Iraqi people were killed and 20 others injured in a
suicide bombing near a Shiite mosque in southwestern Baghdad, a
security source said Monday. Speaking to the Arabic-language Baghdad
Today news website, the source said that two suicide bombers blew
themselves up near Abul Fadhel al-Abbas mosque in al-Malef district in
southwestern Baghdad, leaving at least two people dead and 20 others
injured. The death toll is expected to rise, the source added. No
group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the
Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for
attacks targeting crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques
across Iraq. Violence in the country has surged further with the
emergence of Islamic State extremist militants who proclaimed an
“Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014. The surge in violence
between armed groups and government forces has resulted in over five
million internally displaced persons across Iraq and left more than 11
million in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.”
CBS
News: Man Gets Life Plus 419 Years In Deadly Charlottesville Car
Attack
“An avowed white supremacist was sentenced to life plus 419 years
on federal hate crime charges Monday for deliberately driving his car
into anti-racism protesters during a white nationalist rally in
Virginia. James Alex Fields Jr., 22, received the sentence for killing
one person and injuring dozens during the “Unite the Right” rally in
Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017. Fields was sentenced last month to
life in prison on 29 federal hate crime charges. Judge Richard Moore
followed a state jury's recommendation in handing down the sentence.
Under state law, he was allowed to go lower than the recommendation,
but not higher. The state sentence is mainly symbolic given his
previous sentence on the federal charges. “For his purposes, he has
one life to give, so this is a largely academic exercise,” noted
Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University.
Fields, an avowed white supremacist who kept a photo of Adolf Hitler
on his bedside table, drove from his home in Maumee, Ohio, to attend
the rally, which drew hundreds of white nationalists to
Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a statue of
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The event also drew counterprotesters
who demonstrated against the white nationalists.”
The
Independent: Driverless Car Bomb Plot Shows The Threat From ISIS
Supporters Who Are Unable To Fight Abroad
“An Isis supporter who attempted to create a driverless car bomb is
the latest terrorist to plot an attack on the UK after failing to join
Isis abroad. British security services have been heavily criticised
for allowing at least 900 men, women and children to leave for Syria
and Iraq since 2014. The flow of jihadis has dried up since the UK and
international partners increased efforts to intercept anyone
attempting the journey and prosecute them for terror offences.”
Foreign
Policy: Afghanistan’s Forests Are Turning A Profit For The Islamic
State
“With his hands tight on his machine gun at a remote checkpoint in
Afghanistan’s small eastern province of Kunar, the police officer
Matiullah Safi kept watch. “Daesh is just over there,” the uniformed
22-year-old said, pointing to a tree-covered hill less than a mile
away, using the Arabic name for the Islamic State. Small numbers of
fighters for the Islamic State of Khorasan Province, the Afghan branch
of the militant group, have been in Kunar since 2015. But the group’s
new stronghold is in Kunar’s deep forests, inheriting a booming wood
industry previously controlled by the Taliban that is now generating a
growing income for Islamic State militants. Safi’s government outpost
in Chawkay district is along one of the front lines for the war on the
Islamic State. But it’s also a key entry point for smugglers bringing
wood from the forests to other parts of Afghanistan or neighboring
Pakistan, using mules maneuvering through mountainous terrain or
hiding the logs in secret compartments of trucks that cross the
official border. The provincial government banned the sale of wood in
2016, fearing increasing deforestation and desertification, as an
average of 10 hectares of forest are being cut down annually,
according to Enamullah Safi, the director of the Kunar Agricultural
Directorate.”
Fortune:
Anti-Defamation League Head Blasts Facebook Ceo Mark Zuckerberg Over
Online Extremism
“The head of a leading anti-hate group says Facebook's CEO failed a
critical test in removing toxic speech from its service. Mark
Zuckerberg's recent justification for not removing a doctored video
depicting the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi amounted to an ethical
failure, said Jonathan Greenblat, who leads the Anti-Defamation
League. ”He refused to offer the kind of answer responsible people
would expect ... It's ugly and it's got to change,” Greenblatt said
at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colo. on Monday.
Zuckerberg defended the decision against removing the video, which
falsely depicted Pelosi slurring her speech, by saying Facebook
shouldn't censor everything that is false. However, he added that the
company should have done more to stop the video going viral. Joining a
growing list of critics, Greenblatt also blasted Facebook, along
with Google and Twitter, for failing to confront a rising tide of
white supremacy, which he described as a “scourge” sustained by social
media. While extremism and hate are age-old problems, Greenblatt says
social media has given rise to new and dangerous strains by allowing
disturbed individuals to find each other in online communities like
4Chan.”
United States
Associated
Press: Judge Recommends $14M Award To Neo-Nazi Trolling
Victim
“The publisher of a neo-Nazi website should have to pay the victim
of an internet trolling campaign over $14 million and remove all posts
that encouraged his readers to contact the Montana real estate agent,
a magistrate judge recommended on Monday. U.S. Magistrate Judge
Jeremiah Lynch called The Daily Stormer publisher Andrew Anglin’s
behavior reprehensible and atrocious in telling his internet followers
to unleash a “troll storm” on Tanya Gersh, her husband and her
12-year-old son in 2016. The magistrate judge doesn’t have the final
word in the case. His findings and recommendations must be approved by
U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen to take effect. Gersh, whom
Anglin accused of trying to run white nationalist Richard Spencer’s
mother out of the mountain resort community of Whitefish, said her
family received hundreds of threatening, harassing and anti-Semitic
messages. She sued Anglin, who argued unsuccessfully through his
attorneys that his writings were protected by the First
Amendment.”
Asia
Times: Terror Leader Hambali Finally To Face US
Justice
“Legal teams are interviewing witnesses across the region in
preparation for the long-awaited trial of Indonesian terrorist leader
Riduan Isanuddin, who has been incarcerated at the United States-run
Guantanamo Bay detention facility for 13 years. Isanuddin, 55, better
known as Hambali, was captured by American and Thai intelligence
agents in Thailand’s ancient riverside capital of Ayutthaya in August
2003, 10 months after the devastating Bali bombing which he stands
accused of funding. Ironically, the alleged mastermind of the attack
will apparently finally go on trial more than a decade after Indonesia
and its often criticized judicial system prosecuted the last of the
Bali bomb perpetrators, along with 250 other militants linked with the
al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network.”
Syria
ABC
News: Workers Recover Hundreds Of Bodies From Syrian Mass
Grave
“In an open field on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa,
workers in black uniforms, surgical masks and red hardhats toil under
a scorching sun to dig up bodies from a large mass grave discovered
last month. They have so far unearthed 313 bodies from the grave since
it was discovered last month, the official said. All of the dead are
men, women and children believed to have been killed or died during
the Islamic State group's rule over the northern city, once the de
facto capital of the extremist group's so-called Islamic caliphate and
the site of atrocities committed by the group against residents who
opposed its extremist ideology. The group at the time commanded large
swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq that it administered based on
its own radical version of Islamic rule. U.S.-backed Syrian forces
retook Raqqa from IS in 2017 after a lengthy campaign that left the
city in ruins. Since then, an organization known as the Civil Council
of Raqqa has been working to uncover mass graves in and around the
city, amid concerns about the preservation of bodies and evidence for
possible war crimes trials. International human rights groups say they
are concerned that local groups are not getting the support they need
in terms of forensic expertise and human resources. Yasser al-Khamees,
who leads a team of first responders, said workers have unearthed
4,760 bodies from a series of mass graves starting from January
2018.”
Iran
Radio
Farda: Pompeo Says Sanctions Have Worked And Regional Countries United
Against Iran
“U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington’s sanctions
have had a strong impact on Iran, and Iran’s behavior has united
unlikely allies in the Middle East against Iranian hegemony. In a
radio interview with Sean Hannity on June 15, Pompeo agreed with his
host about the impact of U.S. sanctions on the Iranian economy and
added that critics who predicted sanctions would not work without
European participation came out to be wrong. Pompeo also commented
that he hopes the sanctions will make Iran’s leaders realize they
should change their regional policies. “And so we do hope that the
Islamic Republic of Iran leadership will come to know what I think
their people know. I think their people think their leadership is on
the wrong end of the stick. I think the Iranian people understand that
underwriting Hezbollah in Lebanon and in Syria and in providing money
in Yemen —”, Pompeo said. Besides the impact of sanctions, Pompeo also
argued that Iran’s behavior has brought together former adversaries in
the region. To defend themselves against Iranian influence, many Arab
countries and Israel now cooperate. “The framework that had set the
Middle East for so many years was the conflict between Israel and the
Palestinians, and now the major destabilizing force in the Middle East
is the Islamic Republic of Iran”, the Secretary said, adding that the
U.S. helped foster that trend.”
The
Washington Post: The Latest: Iran’s Leader Vows Response To British
‘Piracy’
“The Latest on tensions in the Persian Gulf amid a crisis between
the United States and Iran (all times local): China has called the
Iran nuclear deal “irreplaceable” and the sole way to resolve the
concerns over Tehran’s nuclear program. Foreign ministry spokesman
Geng Shuang said on Tuesday that “the complete and effective
implementation of the agreement is the only viable and effective way
to settle the Iranian nuclear issue and ease tensions.” He said that
Iran’s commitment to the agreement should be dealt with by the joint
commission that oversees it. Geng also blamed the United States for
causing the current tensions — last year, the Trump administration
pulled out of the deal and re-imposed economic sanctions on Tehran.
Geng said the U.S. should stop exerting pressure on Iran and create
the conditions for a political and diplomatic settlement of the
issue.”
Reuters:
Iran Judiciary Spokesman Confirms Arrest Of French-Iranian Scholar,
Declines To Give Details - TV
“Iran confirmed on Tuesday it had detained French-Iranian scholar
Fariba Adelkhah but declined to give any more details, a day after
Paris demanded information on her case. French President Emmanuel
Macron said on Monday he was worried by the arrest of the 60-year-old
anthropologist, an incident that has complicated French efforts to
defuse tensions in the region. “This person was detained recently ...
but due to the nature of the case, this is not the proper time to give
any information about it,” Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein
Esmaili said in a live broadcast on the judiciary’s website. “More
transparent information will be provided as the case progresses,”
Esmaili said. Adelkhah, a senior research fellow at Sciences Po
university in Paris, was arrested in June by Iran’s Revolutionary
Guards, news website IranWire reported on Sunday, citing unnamed
sources.”
Politico:
EU’s Mogherini: Iran Breaches Not ‘Significant’ Enough To
Escalate
“The EU's foreign policy chief played down Tehran’s breaches of the
Iran nuclear deal on Monday, but admitted the pact was facing its most
difficult moment since it was signed in 2015. Iran has ratcheted up
pressure in recent weeks with calibrated violations of the deal —
known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — breaching
limits on uranium stockpiling and enrichment. But the EU's foreign
policy chief Federica Mogherini said that currently, none of the other
parties to the agreement feel the breaches are "significant" enough to
trigger the pact's dispute resolution mechanism. "The dispute
resolution mechanism is the mechanism foreseen in case of significant
non-compliance. For the time being, none of the parties to the
agreement has signaled their intention to invoke this article,"
Mogherini told reporters at the end of a daylong meeting of EU foreign
ministers in Brussels. "Conditions are very complicated, more
complicated and difficult than ever, it is probably the most difficult
moment since [2015]," Mogherini added.”
Iraq
Iraqi
News: Iraqi Security Forces Kill Eight Terrorists In
Salahuddin
“An Iraqi joint force killed on Monday eight terrorists during a
security operation in Salahuddin province, a police chief said.
Speaking to the privately-owned Alghad Press website, Salahuddin
Police Chief Maj. Gen. Kandil al-Jabouri said that a joint force,
backed by the U.S.-led international coalition warplanes, carried out
a security operation in the Siniya island, west of Salahuddin
province. “The troops managed to kill eight terrorists and destroyed
an armored vehicle during the operation,” al-Jabouri said. He added
that the security operation is still going on to pursue other
terrorists. 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.”
Kurdistan
24: Iraq Deported 473 Foreign ‘ISIS Children’: Ministry
Spokesperson
“The Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Monday said it is ready to deport
foreign-born children of the Islamic State back to their countries, of
which 473 have already been deported. “The Foreign Ministry through
the Legal Department works with the competent authorities, namely the
Supreme Judicial Council, the Ministry of Justice and the security
services, to resolve the deportation of Dae’sh children to their
countries,” Iraqi Foreign Ministry official spokesman, Dr. Ahmad
Al-Sahaf, said using the pejorative Arabic acronym for the
jihadist group. On July 10 alone, Iraq deported 33 Russian children.
The Foreign Ministry has also reportedly participated in the process
to deport 473 children of various nationalities, including “Russian,
Tajik, Azerbaijani, German, French, Georgian, Belarusian, Finnish,
Ukrainian, and Turkish,” all having been born to members of the
Islamic State. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry has directed its missions
abroad to invite all states with nationals who joined the group,
including “women, children and juvenile offenders” who were caught in
Iraq or Syria, to “coordinate with Iraq through diplomatic channels in
order to receive them.” Indeed, Iraq’s judiciary is handling the fate
of more than a thousand children whose parents of various
nationalities had joined the Islamic State.”
Afghanistan
Al
Jazeera: Afghanistan: Roadside Bomb Kills 11 Pilgrims In
Kandahar
“A roadside bomb in Afghanistan has killed at least 11 pilgrims
riding a truck in the southern province of Kandahar, provincial
officials said. At least 35 others were also wounded after their
truck set off a landmine in the Khakrez district of the province on
Monday afternoon, said Ahmad Sadeq Essa, an army spokesperson for the
southern region. Those wounded were transferred to a nearby military
base and some critically injured in the incident were being
transported to hospitals in the provincial capital, Essa added. “The
army only has a mobile clinic in Khakrez, and right now they are
trying to transfer the wounded people to the regional hospital in
Kandahar city for further treatment,” he said. A senior health
official said 22 children and eight women were among those critically
wounded. The victims were going on a pilgrimage to a shrine that
houses the tomb of Sufi Shah Agha, a companion and relative of the
Prophet Mohammad. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the
bombing, but Yousof Younosi, a provincial council member in
Kandahar, blamed the Taliban group, which often uses roadside bombs to
target Afghan security forces in the province. Kandahar is considered
the Taliban's birthplace and the group still controls some parts of
the province.”
Yahoo
News: Afghanistan: 2 Children Killed In Bomb
Explosion
“At least two children died on Monday in an explosion in Chahar
Block district in the Northern province of Balkh. The bomb was planted
by militants, reported Tolo News, citing the 209 Shaheen Corps
spokesman Mohammad Haneef Rezaee. However, no militant group has taken
the responsibility of the attack. Further details are awaited.”
Yemen
Al
Monitor: Yemenis Go Hungry As UN-Rebel Tiff Disrupts
Aid
“As the United Nations' partial suspension of aid to Yemen’s
capital Sanaa enters its fourth week — with no hope of resumption — Um
Ahmed, 60, sees little hope of feeding her two sons and providing them
with the medical treatment they need. The aid suspension across Sanaa
has left parents like Um Ahmed destitute and perplexed as they watch
their children waste away. “I have two sons suffering from health
problems. One has cancer and the other suffers from a mental illness,”
Um Ahmed told Al-Monitor as she drove on a minibus June 28 in the
Shoob district. All passengers on the bus blamed both the United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Houthi government for
doubling their suffering. Um Ahmed received a bag and half of flour
per month along with peas or lentils before the WFP aid was suspended.
She would sell either the half or the whole bag to buy cancer
medication for her son. Following WFP accusations that Houthis were
selling food aid on the black market right in front of schools where
the organization would distribute the food, people stopped selling
them.”
Saudi Arabia
Xinhuanet:
Saudi-Led Coalition Says Intercepts 2 Houthi Drones
“The Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen announced on
Sunday that two drones heading toward the kingdom were intercepted.
Turki Al Maliki, spokesman of the coalition, said in a statement
released by Saudi Press Agency that the two destroyed drones were
launched by Houthis to target civilian sites in the Saudi city of
Khamis Mushait. Some parts of the destroyed drones fell and damaged
several buildings and vehicles but no injuries were reported, he said.
He accused Houthis of committing war crimes by targeting civilians,
saying Saudi Arabia is determined to deter the militias from such
aggressive attacks.”
Middle East
The
Washington Examiner: Senior Hamas Official Urges Palestinians
Worldwide To Kill 'Every Jew On The Globe'
“Fathi Hammad, a senior Hamas official, called upon Palestinians
worldwide to begin the “slaughter and killing” of Jews around the
world. “Our patience has run out. We are on the verge of exploding.
If this siege is not undone, we will explode in the face of our
enemies, with God’s permission and glory. The explosion is not only
going to be in Gaza but also in the [West] Bank and abroad, if God
wills,” Hammad said Friday. “But our brothers [in the diaspora] are
still preparing. They are trying to prepare. They are warming up. A
long time has passed with them warming up. All of you 7 million
Palestinians abroad, enough of the warming up. You have Jews
everywhere and we must attack every Jew on the globe by way of
slaughter and killing, if God permits. Enough of the warming up,” he
added. A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
tweeted a response to the comments Sunday. “We use his statements to
rally support for us and to reveal Hamas's true face. Thank you
Fathi!” Ofir Gendelman, Netanyahu's Arabic-language spokesman,
said. Gendelman added that Hammad's comments were revealing about
Hamas.”
Associated
Press: Concern Grows Over UAE-Based Oil Tanker In Strait Of
Hormuz
“Tracking data shows an oil tanker based in the United Arab
Emirates traveling through the Strait of Hormuz drifted off into
Iranian waters and stopped transmitting its location over two days
ago, raising concerns Tuesday about its status amid heightened
tensions between Iran and the U.S. It isn’t clear what happened to the
Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Riah late on Saturday night. However,
its last position showed it pointing toward Iran. Oil tankers have
previously been targeted as the Persian Gulf region took center stage
in a crisis over Iran’s unraveling nuclear deal with world powers. The
concern about the Riah comes as Iran continues its own high-pressure
campaign over its nuclear program after President Donald Trump
unilaterally withdrew America from the accord over a year ago.
Recently, Iran has inched its uranium production and enrichment over
the limits of its 2015 nuclear deal, trying to put more pressure on
Europe to offer it better terms and allow it to sell its crude oil
abroad.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Bahrain Slams Latest Qatari Conspiracy Against
It
“Bahrain slammed on Tuesday the latest conspiracy by Qatar against
it in wake of the airing of a television program by the Qatar-owned Al
Jazeera channel. The "What is hidden is more immense" program aired on
Sunday in what a Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF) spokesman said was the
latest chapter of its conspiracy against the Kingdom as part of
Qatar’s attempt to undermine and estrange the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) states. He denounced the “fabrication” made by Yasser Athbi Al
Jalahma during the program. The BDF clarified that the security
brigade he had worked for in 2011 was an auxiliary force at the
Interior Ministry assigned to secure the Salmaniya Hospital. This
brigade was never tasked with any task in the process of entering the
roundabout, therefore, Jalahma’s claims about the number of the unit,
the status of its armament and the photos purportedly taken by the
Interior Minister, are utterly baseless.”
Egypt
Reuters:
Kuwait Hands Muslim Brotherhood-Linked Militants To Egypt:
KUNA
“Kuwait has handed over to Egypt eight Egyptians who it said had
admitted to carrying out terrorist operations in their home country,
and had fled to Kuwait after being convicted in Egypt, the state news
agency KUNA reported. Kuwait’s interior ministry had said on Friday
that the men had belonged to a militant cell linked to the Muslim
Brotherhood, and had fled to Kuwait after being sentenced at home to
up to 15 years in jail. Kuwait has not specified the circumstances of
their sentencing, and there has been no official comment from Egyptian
authorities. ”After conducting preliminary investigations, they
admitted to carrying out terrorist operations ... inside Egyptian
territory,” said Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Anas Khalid al-Saleh,
according to KUNA. The men were returned under the terms of bilateral
agreements, KUNA quoted a senior foreign ministry official as saying
late on Sunday. The interior ministry said investigations were
continuing to find other members of the cell. Egypt banned the Muslim
Brotherhood in 2013 after the late Mohamed Mursi of the Brotherhood,
Egypt’s first democratically elected president, was toppled by the
military following widespread unrest. Since then, Egyptian authorities
have arrested tens of thousands of political opponents, many of them
Islamists, according to human rights organizations.”
Nigeria
The
Premium Times: Borno Emir Returns Home 5 Years After Displacement By
Boko Haram
“The Emir of Gwoza in Borno State, Mohammed Shehu-Timta, has
returned home following relative peace and security five years after
displacement from the kingdom by Boko Haram insurgents. The News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that mammoth crowd gathered at Pulka
and major streets in Gwoza metropolis on Monday to give the first
class traditional ruler a rousing welcome. Mr Shehu-Timta who was
accompanied by the Deputy Governor of the state, Usman Kadafur, Ali
Ndume, the senator for Borno South, members of the state House of
Assembly and village heads, among others, was received in a colourful
celebration showcased with a martial display of Gwoza culture at the
emir’s palace. Addressing the people, Governor Babagana Umara said the
return of the monarch signified the return of civic authority in the
local institution. Represented by Mr Kadafur, the governor said his
administration accord high respect and commitment to the traditional
institution, describing it as a “symbol and pride of every society’’.
“I felicitate with the Emir and people of Gwoza over the official
relocation and return of our Emir back to his palace after years in
Maiduguri. “This administration will not afford to toy with the people
of Gwoza and the traditional institution.”
Somalia
All
Africa: Somalia: Somali Army Retakes Fresh Areas From Al-Shabaab After
Offensive
“Somali National Army has taken new areas from al-Shabaab in Lower
Shabelle region on Sunday. The troops seized Yaaqbari Weyne,
MadaxMarodi and Lego villages during operation. Colonel, Mohamed
Abdullahi Arale who was leading contingents from the 35th brigade of
the 60th division confirmed the news to state media. Col. Arale said
his troops killed 15 fighters during the operation while destroying
several vehicles used by the militants. According to sources, the
operation was backed by US force air support since no confirmation
from AFRICOM. The new grounds retaken by Somali troops were held by
al-Shabaab fighters since 2015 when AMISOM contingents from Burundi
retreated following an attack. Somali National Army backed By AU
peacekeeping troops in support from US drone strikes intensified
operations against armed group al-Shabaab in recent months. The
offensive by SNA has led to the recapture of key towns such as Sabiid,
Barire, Canole in Lower Shabelle region.”
PRI:
After Most Recent Attack, Should US Negotiate With
Al-Shabab?
“At least 26 people were killed Friday when armed gunmen stormed a
hotel and a car bomb exploded in the port city of Kismayo, Somalia,
this weekend. Al-Shabab, the al-Qaeda-linked militant group, claimed
credit for the attack. The dead included a presidential candidate for
August's Jubbaland regional elections, Jubbaland state president Ahmed
Mohamed Madobe said. Kismayo is the commercial capital of Jubbaland,
a region still partly controlled by al-Shabab, whose fighters
frequently carry out bombings in Somalia and neighboring Kenya.
Kenyan troops remain active in Somalia as part of an African Union
peacekeeping force. Jubbaland is scheduled to have parliamentary
elections this month and presidential elections in August. Al-Shabab
was forced out of the capital Mogadishu in 2011 and has since lost
most of its other strongholds. It was driven out of Kismayo the
following year by Kenyan forces. The city's port had been a major
source of revenue for al-Shabab from taxes, charcoal exports and
levies on arms and other illegal imports. The US has been battling
extremists in Somalia for nearly three decades with various missions
from United States Africa Command, or AFRICOM. According to AFRICOM,
the US has conducted 110 airstrikes in Somalia since June 2017.”
Africa
Xinhua:
Kenyan Police Kill 3 Al-Shabab Suspects In Coastal
Region
“Kenyan security forces on Monday killed three suspected al-Shabab
militants shortly after an improvised explosive device (IED)
detonated, injuring two police officers in Kiunga, Lamu town, near
Kenya-Somalia border. David Lusava, Lamu East deputy commissioner
confirmed the incident in the coastal town of Lamu, saying the IED
believed to have been planted by the militants was targeting security
units on patrol in the area. “I have received information of the IED
attack somewhere in Kiunga towards the Somalia border but I don't have
the details. So I can't even say how many have been injured or killed
and whether they are terrorists or security officers,” Lusava said.
“The area is under the multi-agency security operation Linda Boni,
they are better placed with the details,” he added. A police officer
in Kiunga confirmed that three militants were killed during the
incident. “My unit was among the first responders to the scene shortly
after the RBPU (Rapid Border Patrol Unit) had been ambushed. We
counted three bodies belonging to al-Shabab militants. They were
dressed in jungle green military regalia and had around their necks,
flags similar to those used by the militia group,” said the officer
who declined to be named.”
United Kingdom
The
Guardian: Pair Charged With Terror Offences After Car Stopped In
Luton
“A man and a woman arrested after their car was stopped in Luton
have been charged with terror offences. The pair were arrested on 3
July as part of an investigation by the Metropolitan police’s
counter-terrorism command. The 28-year-old man, who police have not
named, has been charged with one count of preparing acts of terrorism,
one count of possessing a document likely to be useful to a person
committing or preparing an act of terrorism and one count of
disseminating terrorist publications. The 25-year-old woman, who has
also not been named, faces two charges of failing to disclose
information relating to acts of terrorism. A Scotland Yard statement
said: “The man has tonight, Monday 15 July, been charged with one
count of section 5 (1) (A) of the Terrorism Act 2006; one count of
section 58 (1) (B) of the Terrorism Act 2000 and one count of section
2 (1) of the Terrorism Act 2006. “The woman has been charged with two
counts of section 38B (2) of the Terrorism Act 2000.” Both will appear
in custody at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday.”
The
Independent: Driverless Car Bomb Plot Shows The Threat From ISIS
Supporters Who Are Unable To Fight Abroad
“An Isis supporter who attempted to create a driverless car bomb is
the latest terrorist to plot an attack on the UK after failing to join
Isis abroad. British security services have been heavily criticised
for allowing at least 900 men, women and children to leave for
Syria and Iraq since 2014. The flow of jihadis has dried up since the
UK and international partners increased efforts to intercept anyone
attempting the journey and prosecute them for terror offences. But
Farhad Salah’s case is the latest plot illustrating a dangerous trend
of would-be foreign fighters seeking to launch attacks in the UK
instead. Prosecutors said the 24-year-old Iraqi national had wanted to
fight in Syria and became “frustrated” at being unable to leave the
UK, because a decision had not been made on his asylum claim. Salah
had collected “disturbing” Isis propaganda videos showing torture and
executions, as well as guides enabling him to build and test homemade
explosives. “My only attempt is to find a way to carry out a martyrdom
operation with cars without drivers – everything is perfect only the
programme is left with the almighty Allah’s will,” he wrote shortly
before being arrested in December 2017. During Salah’s trial, which
saw him convicted of preparing an act of terrorism on Friday,
prosecutor Anne Whyte QC said he “was getting increasingly desperate
to do something in the cause of Isis.”
France
The
Jerusalem Post: French Gov't Supports Youth Project With Ties To
Palestinian Terror Group
“The French government, along with local municipalities in France,
has donated almost €400,000 to a new youth program in east Jerusalem
in coordination with a a socio-cultural center run by a convicted
member of the terror organization Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP), NGO Monitor reported. On July 10, 2019, at the
Jerusalem French Institute a new youth program for east Jerusalem was
launched in the presence of UN employees in coordination with the Al
Bustan center. The project, “Towards the Youth of East Jerusalem” was
initiated by the RCDP, a French association that supports ties between
local French and Palestinian authorities. The project is funded by
various local French government bodies, including the French Ministry
of Europe and Foreign Affairs, who donated €204,000, the municipality
of Rennes, €34,286, the municipality of Ivry-Sur-Seine (€21,429), and
other French municipalities. The Al Bustan center is described as a
socio-cultural center, and listed as one of their founders, treasurer
and contact point for the new project is Daoud Ghoul. In 2015, Ghoul
was convicted in Israel for his membership in the Popular Front for
the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), for which Ghoul served an 18 month
sentence. The PFLP is a secular Marxist-Leninist revolutionary
organization affiliated with the Palestinian Liberation
Organization.”
Germany
The
Guardian: Former German Spy Chief Causes Alarm By Sharing Far-Right
Tweets
“When he was in charge of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency,
Hans-Georg Maaßen warned of how easy it was for people to be led
astray by “disinformation” and “clumsy fake reports” on the internet.
But since his dismissal from office last September, the former spy
chief’s behaviour on social media has raised questions over his own
ability to distinguish conspiracy theories from truthful reporting,
and sparked a debate about the neutrality of the powerful intelligence
agency during a period in which a resurgent far right marched over
several days in the city of Chemnitz. On Sunday Maaßen shared on
Twitter an article from a rightwing extremist blog claiming that the
rescue of a group of people adrift off the Libyan coast by the rescue
boat Sea Watch 3, and the subsequent arrest of its German captain,
Carola Rackete, was in fact a “piece of propaganda” orchestrated by
the German public broadcaster ARD. The article likens a documentary
about Sea-Watch 3 by ARD’s programme Panorama to the Nazi propaganda
ministry embedding film crews on ”Strength Through Joy”cruise ships,
and suggests the film crew could have dragged the rescued refugees out
to sea in the first place.”
Europe
Reuters:
Bosnia Indicts Islamic Fighter For Terrorism
“Bosnia’s state prosecutor on Monday indicted for terrorism a
Bosnian Muslim who fought for Islamic State (IS) in Syria, after he
was brought back to the country in April. Ibro Cufurovic, who is from
the northwestern town of Velika Kladusa, has been in custody since his
extradition from Syria, following a detention by the Kurdish militia
more than a year ago. The 25-year-old has been indicted for organising
a terrorist group, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. It
said Cufurovic, using the name Abu Kasim Albosni, spent almost five
years in Syria, where he participated alongside other Bosnians in
terrorist activities and fought on the side of IS. Bosnia’s state
court has tried and convicted 46 people who have returned from Syria
or Iraq in the past few years. According to Bosnian intelligence, 241
adults and 80 children left Bosnia or Bosnian diaspora from 2012-2016
for Syria and Iraq, where 150 more children were born. About 100
adults, including 49 women, remained there while at least 88 have been
killed or died. Several women with children, including Cufurovic’s
wife, have pleaded with Bosnian authorities to be allowed to return
home but there is still no clear policy on how to deal with them
because the children do not hold Bosnian citizenship.”
The
New York Times: Italy Police Seize Missile From Neo-Nazi
Sympathizers
“The police in Italy seized a large arsenal of weapons, including
an air-to-air missile, in raids on Monday on neo-Nazi sympathizers.
Elite police forces searched properties across northern Italy
following an investigation into Italians who had fought alongside
Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, a police
statement said. Three men were arrested, including a customs officer
who had previously stood for Parliament for an extreme right party,
the neo-fascist Forza Nuova. During their raids, police discovered a
French-made Matra air-to-air missile that appeared to have once
belonged to the Qatar armed forces. Subsequent checks showed the
weapon was in working condition but lacked an explosive charge. Police
said the suspects had tried to sell the missile in conservations with
contacts on the WhatsApp messaging network.”
Xinhua:
War Weapons Seized, Far-Right Militants Held In Counter-Terrorism
Operation In Italy
“Three people were arrested and war weapons seized in a
counter-terrorism operation launched against far-right activists here,
Italian authorities said on Monday. The operation was coordinated by
prosecutors in the city of Turin in northwest Italy after a one-year
investigation, and raids were carried out in four northern provinces,
including Varese and Pavia, police said in statement. An air-to-air
missile, nine assault rifles, one machine gun and seven pistols were
among the firearms seized, it said. The three people arrested -- two
Italians aged 50 and 51, and a 42-year-old Swiss national -- were
charged with illegal possession of war weapons. Police explained that
the investigation focused on “some people linked to far-right
political groups, who fought in the Ukrainian region of Donbas against
secessionist forces.” They specified that “coats of arms and clearly
Nazi-inspired placards” were found in the house of one of the two
Italians arrested. “The materials seized deserve utmost attention,”
the Turin-based La Stampa newspaper quoted local police chief Giuseppe
De Matteis as saying at a press conference. “We are talking about 20
assault rifles plus spare parts ... and, in addition to the missile,
we found other war equipment.”
Southeast Asia
The
Jakarta Post: How Do Terrorists Fund Their Activities? Some Do It
Legally
“Indonesians were surprised when Para Wijayanto, leader of the
Jema'ah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network, was arrested earlier this
month. The Southeast Asia terrorist network, responsible for the 2002
Bali bombings, is still alive and kicking. JI was thought to
be decimated after leaders such as Abu Bakar Ba'asyir and Umar Patek
were arrested, and Noordin Top and Azahari killed. The latest arrest
revealed JI was using a palm oil plantation business to fund its
terrorist activities. Previously, JI’s came mainly from illegal
activities, such as through robbery and cybercrime. Is using legal
businesses as a front to fund terrorism part of a new trend? I study
the dynamics of terrorist organisation funding. Terrorism networks
employ both legal and illegal ways to fund their activities – whether
these are terror attacks, propaganda, recruitment or military
training. According to the Indonesian anti-terrorist financing law,
terrorist financing refers to assets that are recognised, or
reasonably alleged, to be used directly or indirectly for
terrorism-related activity, organisations or individuals. There
are three stages of terrorist financing: fund-raising, fund-moving and
fund-using. They can use banks or other means to move the money.”
The
Straits Times: Philippines, US To Step Up War On Terror Amid Suicide
Attacks
“The Philippines and the United States have agreed to step up
efforts to fight violent extremism in the South-east Asian nation
following the first suicide attack carried out by a Filipino militant
in June. “We know danger still exists in parts of the country. This is
why counter-terrorism has been such a key element of our bilateral
cooperation,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim told reporters
shortly after two days of bilateral talks between Manila and
Washington ended on Tuesday (July 16). His counterpart, Mr Jose Manuel
Romualdez, said in the same news briefing that the talks were “clearly
very productive in the sense that we were able to discuss how we can
cooperate even more, especially with what happened with the recent
bombing in Jolo”. Security officials confirmed last week the
first-ever case of a suicide attack carried out by a Filipino, in what
they said marked an escalation in the deadly tactics used by militants
linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Norman Lasuca,
23, who ran away from home four years ago because of the beatings he
received from his father and later joined the Abu Sayyaf extremist
group, set off on June 28 one of two bombs that exploded inside a
temporary camp of a special army counter-terrorism unit in Indanan
town, on Jolo island, 1,000km south of the capital Manila.”
Technology
CNBC:
Mnuchin: US Has ‘Very Serious Concerns’ That Facebook’s Libra Could Be
Misused By Terrorists
“Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has concerns about Facebook’s
proposed cryptocurrency and its potential illicit use. In a press
conference Monday, Mnuchin said Facebook’s planned digital currency
“could be misused by money launderers and terrorist financiers” and
that it was a “national security issue.” “Cryptocurrencies such as
bitcoin have been exploited to support billions of dollars of illicit
activity like cyber crime, tax evasion, extortion, ransomware, illicit
drugs and human trafficking,” Mnuchin said, adding that he is “not
comfortable today” with Facebook’s launch. “They have a lot of work to
do,” he said. The press conference comes days after President Donald
Trump said in a tweet that he was “not a fan” of cryptocurrencies like
bitcoin. He also suggested Facebook, which plans on launching the
global cryptocurrency next year, would need a bank charter to do
so. Bitcoin dropped sharply on Monday following the president’s
criticism on Twitter. The world’s first and most valuable digital
currency fell roughly 10% to a low of $9,872 to start the week. “The
president does have concerns as it relates to bitcoin and
cryptocurrencies — those are legitimate concerns that we have been
working on for a long period of time,” Mnuchin said.”
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