Eye on Extremism
October 8, 2019
NOTE: Eye On Extremism will be
suspended on Wednesday, October 9. It will resume on Thursday, October
10.
Politico:
Congress Pressures Trump To Back Down On Syria
'Betrayal'
“President Donald Trump changed the conversation from impeachment —
at least for a day — with his move to abruptly withdraw U.S. forces
from Syria. But he also opened a front with Congress that may prove
unsustainable. From steadfast GOP allies and liberal Democrats backing
an impeachment inquiry, the blowback to Trump is coming from all
angles, suggesting a real bipartisan pressure campaign that could
force the president to reverse himself.”
The
New York Times: Trump’s Green Light To Turkey Raises Fears About ISIS
Detainees
“President Trump’s sudden blessing of a Turkish military operation
in northern Syria and his announcement of an American troop withdrawal
from that region raised questions about the fate of thousands of
Islamic State detainees that the Turks’ targets, American-backed
Syrian Kurds, have been holding in makeshift wartime prisons. Mr.
Trump insisted that Turkey must assume responsibility for the captured
ISIS fighters and their families. But it is far from clear what will
happen to them, and a host of issues arose from Mr. Trump’s abrupt, if
still murky, change in policy. The situation is deeply complicated.
For now, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces control northern
Syria. They have been the primary American ally inside Syria in the
war against the Islamic State, carrying out the brunt of the
ground-level fighting with support from American airstrikes and
weapons. They operate prisons where ISIS members are detained. The
Kurds are menaced from the north by Turkey, which has been fighting
separatist Kurds inside its borders for years and considers the Syrian
Kurds to be terrorists, too. Meanwhile, President Bashar al-Assad of
Syria, backed by Russia, controls the southern part of the country and
wants to eventually retake it all, raising the possibility of a deal
with the Kurds.”
The
Washington Post: The Taliban Still Hasn’t Broken With
Al-Qaeda
“Late last month, Afghan and U.S. forces targeted Asim Umar, chief
of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), at a Taliban compound
in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. While the fate of Umar is unknown,
several militants were reportedly killed during the operation,
including the Taliban’s local explosives expert and Umar’s courier,
who transported messages to al-Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. This
development raises serious questions about the Taliban’s promises,
made during the now-frozen U.S.-Taliban talks, to break ties with its
longtime partner al-Qaeda. It suggests that the American hope of
detaching the Taliban from its al-Qaeda allies, before making a deal
with the Taliban, is nowhere near to being fulfilled. The unvarnished
reality on the ground is that al-Qaeda remains an important factor in
the Taliban insurgency. The two terrorist groups are codependent
allies, and their partnership endured for nearly 23 years. Currently,
the Taliban serves as the primary partner for AQIS, al-Qaeda’s
regional affiliate, and almost all other terrorist groups operating in
Afghanistan. The alliance is grounded in mutual cooperation, driven by
common jihadist obligation, ideology and a shared hatred for the
United States.”
BBC
News: German Lorry Attack In Limburg Seen As 'Act Of
Terrorism'
“An attack on motorists in the western town of Limburg is being
investigated as terrorism, security sources have told German media. On
Monday, a man hijacked a lorry and ploughed into eight vehicles
waiting at a traffic light, injuring eight people. Seven were treated
in hospital. A thirty-two year-old suspect has been arrested.
Originally from Syria, he has been living in Germany since 2015, local
reports say. Public broadcaster ZDF quoted sources as saying the
incident was being treated by investigators as having a “terrorist
background”, although Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Tuesday
he could not yet say how the incident was being classified. Police
searched a flat in Langen south of Frankfurt early on Tuesday and said
it was linked to what had happened in Limburg, local reports said. The
owner of the stolen lorry told the Frankfurter Neue Presse (FNP)
newspaper that he had been dragged from his vehicle by the man, who
had forced the door open. “What do you want from me?” the driver said
he asked the man. “He didn't say a word. I asked him a again and then
he dragged me out of the lorry.” Another witness, Bettina Yeisley,
described talking to the hijacker afterwards without realising he had
driven the lorry.”
Huff
Post: Government Not Doing Enough To Tackle 'Hateful Extremism',
Report Finds
“The government’s response to tackling extremism is “inadequate”
and is in need of a complete transformation, a new report states. Sara
Khan, leader of the Commission for Countering Extremism, called for
better protection for victims and support for those working to tackle
extremism. She also urged the Home Secretary to set up a new task
force involving both government and public bodies to tackle the issue.
The commission’s recommendations have been set out in its first major
report since it was set up in the wake of the 2017 terrorist attacks
in London and Manchester. The review – based on 3,000 responses to the
inquiry, survey data and visits to 20 towns and cities – found another
category of extremist behaviour, named by the commission as hateful
extremism, which is different from terrorism and violent extremism.
Hateful extremism has been defined as behaviour which can “incite and
amplify hate” or make the “moral case for violence” and could put
people at risk of harm, the report said. Such behaviour may direct
“hateful, hostile or supremacist beliefs” to groups perceived to be a
threat to “well-being, survival or success.” The report also found the
general population have a “deep concern” about extremism, with 76% of
those who responded to a consultation saying more needs to be done to
tackle it and nearly 50% saying they have witnessed some form of this
behaviour.”
Vice:
How Telegram Became White Nationalists' Go-To Messaging
Platform
“VICE News analyzed 150 public-facing far-right Telegram channels
and found that more than two-thirds were created in the first eight
months of 2019. And not only do white nationalists have a much more
robust presence on Telegram than they did two years ago, but their
channels have grown more sophisticated, violent and terroristic over
time. “They’re building this infrastructure, and working on carving
out their own little network for people who subscribe to far-right
ideologies,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a research analyst at the
Counter Extremism Project.”
United States
The
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Adds Chinese Firms To Blacklist, Citing
Repression Of Muslim Minorities
“The U.S. added 28 Chinese entities to an export blacklist Monday,
citing their role in Beijing’s repression of Muslim minorities in
northwest China, just days before high-level trade talks are set to
resume in Washington. The action, which the U.S. said wasn’t related
to trade talks, was nonetheless likely to disturb Chinese officials
already incensed over what Beijing sees as U.S. support for an
increasingly disruptive pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. “I think
the Chinese are probably going to see a connection, even if the
administration says there isn’t one,” said Matthew Goodman, senior
adviser for Asian economics at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, a Washington think tank. “It’s going to
complicate the discussions this week…the timing is going to be awkward
for the Chinese.”
KTVB:
Nampa Man Pleads Guilty To Terrorism Charge
“A Nampa man admitted last week to a terrorism charge as part of an
agreement with prosecutors that allowed him to shed other counts.
Grant Stevenson pleaded guilty to felony terrorism after sending
online messages to Nampa Police threatening to release a deadly nerve
agent at a Nampa apartment complex and set off bombs around town in
March.”
Syria
The
Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Call To Leave Syria Draws Fire From GOP
Allies
“President Trump’s latest move to end U.S. involvement in Syria
drew a burst of condemnation from dedicated supporters, who warned
that abandoning a key ally, the Kurds, and walking away from the fight
against Islamic State would cause irreparable damage to U.S.
interests. Congressional leaders including GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of
Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and top Democrats sharply criticized Mr.
Trump’s decision. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.)
urged Mr. Trump to “exercise American leadership” and keep U.S. troops
in northern Syria, joining a chorus of lawmakers who warned against
withdrawing from the area.”
Associated
Press: Syria’s Kurds Stand To Lose All Gains From US
Pullout
“Syria’s Kurds accused the U.S. of turning its back on its allies
and risking gains made in the fight against the Islamic State group as
American troops began pulling back on Monday from positions in
northeastern Syria ahead of an expected Turkish assault. U.S.
President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to stand aside — announced by
the White House late Sunday — infuriated Kurds, who stand to lose the
autonomy they gained in the course of Syria’s civil war.”
The
Wall Street Journal: With Friends Like the U.S.
“President Trump’s defeat of Islamic State as a territorial power
was a major foreign-policy success, yet he may now undo it with a
retreat from Syria that will also signal to U.S. allies that the White
House can’t be trusted. That’s the risk of Mr. Trump’s abrupt decision
late Sunday to abandon northern Syria to Turkey. Washington and Ankara
had been negotiating to create a buffer zone to avoid a conflict
there, but on Sunday the White House announced that American forces
will cede the area to Turkish troops. Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan is now free to wage war on Syria’s Kurds, who were America’s
most important allies against ISIS.”
U.S.
News & World Report: Trump Administration Appears to Reverse Syria
Decision Following Backlash
“A senior administration official on an organized call with
reporters appeared to contradict President Donald Trump about Syria
policy late Monday, refuting interpretations of his statements from
earlier in the day that prompted broad outrage from supporters and
opponents alike. The U.S. is not removing its forces from Syria in the
face of a Turkish incursion, said the official, speaking on the
condition of anonymity. Rather, the president ordered roughly 50
special operations troops in northern Syria to relocate to a different
part of the country after he learned that Turkey has planned an
offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria. The official
said that offensive had not yet begun.”
Fox
News: Gen. Jack Keane: Trump's Syria Withdrawal Is A 'Betrayal' And
Would Be A 'Strategic Blunder'
“As President Trump prepares to draw down U.S. troops from
northeastern Syria to extricate America from what he called "endless
wars," Gen. Jack Keane said the move is a "betrayal" of the Kurdish
people, and strongly advised against it, on "America's Newsroom"
Monday. "There's one word that describes this for me, betrayal," he
said. "I think it's a strategic blunder that will have significant
implications... We went into eastern Syria to defeat ISIS. The Syrian
democratic forces, which the Kurds were a part of, had 60,000 ground
troops. We provided 2,000 to help them. It took us two years. We
fought every single day to defeat ISIS. The Syrian Kurds, who we're
talking about here, lost over 11,000 in that fight.”
The
Guardian: Australia Says It Won't Risk More Lives Trying To Rescue
Citizens From Northern Syria
“The Australian government has no immediate plan to rescue its
citizens – including 20 women and more than 40 children – stranded in
dangerous and squalid camps in northern Syria, arguing it will not
risk more Australian lives trying to get them out. But as Turkish
troops mass on the border ahead of an expected invasion, a Sydney
grandfather whose daughter and grandchildren are trapped in Al-Hawl
camp argues Syria is “safer today than it will be tomorrow”. Kamalle
Dabboussy said he had safely visited the camps recently, and urged
Australia to repatriate its citizens while US troops are still
providing a measure of security in the region.”
NPR: U.S. Officials Caught Off Guard By Trump's Shift In
Northern Syria
“Two U.S. officials tell NPR that military leaders involved in
countering ISIS were surprised by President Trump's sudden policy
shift — pulling support for Kurdish allies from Northern Syria.”
The
New York Times: U.S. Pullback In Syria Could Aid Assad And
ISIS
“Before dawn on Monday, at a military base in northeastern Syria,
an American general delivered the bad news to his Syrian counterpart.
The United States was going to allow Turkish forces to move into the
area, leaving the Kurdish-led Syrian militia vulnerable. “You are
leaving us alone,” the Syrian commander, Mazlum Kobani, responded
angrily, and accused the United States of complicity in a looming
Turkish attack, according to a United States official and another
person with knowledge of the meeting. President Trump’s surprise
announcement that the United States would allow Turkey to take over a
swath of northeastern Syria, at the expense of the militia that fought
alongside the United States against the Islamic State, could alter the
course of the country’s eight-year civil war. In addition to betraying
the militia, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, analysts said,
the move could empower Turkey, extending its control over another part
of northern Syria. It could also create a void in the region that
could benefit President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Russia, Iran and the
Islamic State, also known as ISIS. And it would likely further limit
the United States’ influence over the conflict.”
The
Washington Post: Syrian Kurds See American Betrayal And Warn Fight
Against ISIS Is Now In Doubt
“For the past five years, Syrian Kurds have stood alongside the
United States in its effort to vanquish the Islamic State, in the
process securing control over a vast area of Syria they hoped would
form the nucleus of an autonomous Kurdish region. The unexpected
announcement by President Trump that he will draw down the U.S.
military presence in Syria to make way for Turkish troops was greeted
by the Kurds as a betrayal of the trust established during the fight,
which has cost the lives of more than 12,000 members of the Syrian
Democratic Forces, the joint Kurdish-Arab militia formed to battle the
militants. It remains unclear how extensive the U.S. troop drawdown or
a Turkish incursion will be. A small number of U.S. troops pulled out
Tuesday from two observation posts on the Turkish border, in the towns
of Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain, that were established this year in an
effort to create a buffer zone along the border in cooperation with
Turkey. From Turkey’s perspective, the U.S. partnership with the Kurds
has always represented an affront to its decades-old NATO alliance
with the United States.”
Bloomberg:
Graham Says Trump’s ‘Biggest Lie’ Is Of Islamic State’s
Defeat
“One of Donald Trump’s biggest defenders in Congress rebuked the
president’s decision to step aside from Kurdish allies in Syria while
Turkey’s military advances, saying it would result in the re-emergence
of ISIS. “ISIS is not defeated, my friend. The biggest lie being told
by the administration is that ISIS is defeated,” Senator Lindsey
Graham told “Fox and Friends” in a phone call Monday. “The Caliphate
is destroyed, but there’s thousands of fighters” still there. Graham
said he would sponsor a resolution urging Trump to reconsider the
decision he called “shortsighted and irresponsible.” Graham said he
and Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen will also introduce a
resolution to impose sanctions on Turkey if it invades Syria. The
sharp criticism from Graham, a South Carolina Republican who usually
is one of Trump’s fiercest defenders in the Senate, signals the
president’s plan could meet resistance on Capitol Hill. Other
Republican lawmakers were joining in expressing misgivings on Monday,
echoing the admonishment that prompted Trump to reverse course on a
similar pullout announced last year. Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida
Republican, said on Twitter that “the Trump administration has made a
grave mistake that will have implications far beyond Syria.”
The
Daily Beast: Trump To Kurds: We Paid You To Destroy ISIS, You’re On
Your Own Now
“It’s clear that Donald Trump feels no remorse over his decision to
abandon the U.S. military’s Kurdish allies in Syria to make way for an
attack from Turkey. The White House announced late Sunday that U.S.
troops will withdraw from northern Syria and leave the Kurds, who have
carried out the majority of the fighting against ISIS and led the
fight to take down the terror group’s “caliphate,” to face an invasion
from Turkey. Writing Monday morning, Trump more or less said “tough
luck” to the allies he’s abandoned, saying the Kurds “will now have to
figure the situation out.” He wrote: “The Kurds fought with us, but
were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so. They have
been fighting Turkey for decades. I held off this fight for almost 3
years, but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless
Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT
WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN.” The president
added: “We are 7000 miles away and will crush ISIS again if they come
anywhere near us!”
The
Guardian: Kurds Have Been Preparing For Trump’s Syria Betrayal—With A
Vengeance
“Late Sunday night in Washington, the White House announced it was
pulling U.S. troops out of northeast Syria to clear the way for a
Turkish invasion. The Kurds there who led the fight on the ground that
defeated the so-called Islamic State had seen President Donald Trump’s
betrayal coming. But still they hoped it could be avoided. “Don’t let
the Turks disrupt my wedding,” our translator texted in September
prior to our arrival in the region. For more than a year, we have been
visiting almost monthly to interview captured ISIS cadres held by the
Kurdish and Arab troops of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as part
of a project for the International Center for the Study of Violent
Extremism.”
Iran
The
Jerusalem Post: Iran Charges Famous Kurdish Singer With Being Gay,
Faces Execution
“Iran has alleged that a prominent singer is gay and under the
Islamic Republic’s anti-homosexual laws he could face the death
penalty. BBC journalist Ali Hamedani tweeted on Sunday that “A famous
Iranian singer from the Kurdish province of Kermanshah has been
‘accused’ of being a homosexual and could face execution. Iran
executes gay men.”
The
National Interest: In A Conflict, Iran Would Wage A Missile War
Against America
“Just when you thought you’d seen it all in the six-year-long
Syrian civil war, the conflict took another turn when Iran launched a
missile attack against Islamic State militants in the province of Deir
ez-Zour last Sunday. Iran depicted the attack, which was reportedly
the first time Iran used missiles since the Iran-Iraq War, as a
response to the ISIS attacks on the Iranian parliament and mausoleum
of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini earlier this month.”
The
New York Times: Iran Unveils Kit To Convert Artillery Rockets Into
Guided Missiles
“The Iranian military has unveiled what it claims is a conversion
kit that converts artillery rockets into surface-to-surface missiles –
technology that Israel has accused Tehran of trying to deliver to
Hezbollah, according to a report. The Islamic Republic unveiled the
new guidance system upgrade — called Labeik – last week at an event
where several new military technologies were showcased, according to a
report in Jane’s Defence Weekly.”
Iraq
Foreign
Policy: In Iraq, Protesters Are Sick Of Corruption And Foreign
Influence
“Few Iraqis relish widespread recognition and support as much as
Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi. Though he’s relatively unknown outside
of Iraq, Saadi’s contributions to fighting terrorism in Iraq have been
highly significant in ridding the country of the Islamic State.
Suddenly, late last month, Saadi was unceremoniously stripped of his
position in the Iraqi Army and transferred to an administrative role
in the Ministry of Defense. The demotion of the celebrated general
outraged his many supporters and triggered some of the deadliest
protests seen in Iraq and the Middle East in recent years.”
The
Atlantic: How ISIS Returns
“This is the story of how the Islamic State could make its
comeback. For weeks now, Iraq has been rocked by anti-government
protests and violent crackdowns. Its prime minister, a U.S. ally, may
resign. And now America’s local partners in Syria, the Kurds—who have
done more than anyone to roll back ISIS there at the expense of
thousands of lives—have been left on their own to face a potential
invasion by their powerful, NATO-allied arch-nemesis, Turkey. In a
sequence of events we have seen before, President Donald Trump
abruptly announced a major decision on Syria after a phone call with
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This time, he said U.S. troops
would withdraw from positions in northeastern Syria, exposing their
partners in the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) by allowing
Erdoğan to launch a long-wished-for invasion into their territory.
(Erdoğan aims to remove the Kurds from their strongholds near the
Turkish border because he regards them as terrorists.) Trump’s move
sparked a bipartisan backlash in Congress today, prompting him to vow
on Twitter that he would use his “great and unmatched wisdom” to
ensure that Turkey didn’t do anything “off limits.”
Iraqi
News: Seven IS Terrorists Killed During Counter-Terrorism Operation In
Kirkuk
“An Iraqi counter-terrorism force said on Tuesday that seven
Islamic State militants were killed during a security operation in the
oil-rich province of Kirkuk. “A Counter-Terrorism Service force, in
coordination with the U.S.-led international coalition, carried out a
security operation in Daquq area in Kirkuk,” the Iraqi Security Media
Cell said in a press statement. The troops killed seven terrorists and
destroyed several hotbeds and tunnels in the operation, the statement
added. 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. Despite
the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq, Islamic
State continues to launch sporadic attacks against troops with
security reports warning that the militant group still poses a threat
against stability in the country.”
Turkey
CNN:
Trump Threatens To 'Obliterate' Turkey's Economy If They Do Anything
'Off Limits' With ISIS
“President Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate” Turkey's economy
if the country does anything he considers to be off limits pertaining
to ISIS, as the country prepares to execute an operation without US
support in northern Syria. “As I have stated strongly before, and just
to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and
unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy
and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I've done before!),” the
President tweeted Monday morning. “They must, with Europe and others,
watch over the captured ISIS fighters and families. The US has done
far more than anyone could have ever expected, including the capture
of 100% of the ISIS Caliphate.” The threat comes after the White House
released a readout of a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. According to the White House, the two discussed the execution
of a long-planned operation in Northern Syria which will not be
supported by US Armed Forces, and the White House announced that the
US would delegate the responsibility of ISIS fighters captured in the
last two years to Turkey. The move marks a major shift in US foreign
policy and effectively gives Turkey the green light to attack
US-backed Kurdish forces.”
Afghanistan
BBC
News: Afghanistan Taliban Commanders Freed 'In Swap For Indian
Hostages'
“Several senior Taliban members have been released in exchange for
three kidnapped Indian engineers, sources in the militant group told
the BBC. The 11 Taliban reported freed included a member of the
militant Haqqani group. The Indians released on Sunday were part of a
group of seven engineers kidnapped more than a year ago with their
driver in northern Afghanistan. The news came after the Taliban were
said to have met the US peace envoy for the first time since talks
collapsed. Zalmay Khalilzad reportedly met senior members of the group
in Pakistan last week, almost a month after President Donald Trump
cancelled secret plans to host a Taliban delegation in the US. The
prisoner swap was one of the issues discussed at the meeting, sources
told the BBC. Three key Taliban figures were released from prison in
Afghanistan, according to the source within the militant group,
including the former “shadow” governor of Nimroz province. The New
York Times reported that Abdul Rashid Baluch was previously listed as
a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Treasury Department.
He was accused of deploying suicide bombers and helping finance the
Taliban through the drugs trade in Afghanistan.
The
Diplomat: The Taliban Go Global
“The Afghan Taliban has often been contrasted with al-Qaeda. While
it might have hosted Bin Laden and his men in the 1990s, the Taliban
never shared al-Qaeda’s interest in global jihad and stayed focused on
Afghanistan. None of its members was involved in 9/11, and it has
generally eschewed terrorist activity overseas. Indeed, the Taliban
was in many ways cut off from the world during its rule in the 1990s.
Only three governments recognized its regime – Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,
and the UAE – and, of those, only Pakistan had an embassy in
Afghanistan. Added to that, the Taliban were placed under UN sanctions
after the al-Qaeda embassy bombings in 1998. The original leadership
of the Taliban hailed predominantly from the Afghan countryside and
had seen little, if anything, of the outside world. Mullah Omar, for
example, travelled abroad twice in his entire life, both times to
Pakistan during the anti-Soviet jihad of the 1980s, according to
journalist Bette Dam. This all started to change after 9/11. The
Taliban was toppled by the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and many of
its members fled into exile, fanning out to Pakistan, the Gulf states,
Iran, and even Turkey. This broadened the Taliban’s horizons, exposing
the group to new ideas.”
Military
Times: Taliban Say Afghanistan Has Freed Several Of Their
Prisoners
“Taliban officials say several of their group’s members have been
freed from Afghan jails, including former shadow governors, just days
after a U.S. envoy met top Taliban leaders in the Pakistani capital
following the suspension of U.S.-Taliban talks last month. The Taliban
also said they released three Indian engineers they had been holding,
though that has yet to be confirmed by New Delhi or the Afghan
government. The Taliban officials spoke Sunday on condition of
anonymity because they were not cleared by their leadership to speak
to the media. The Taliban met with a U.S. envoy in the Pakistani
capital, a Taliban official said Saturday, the first such encounter
since President Donald Trump announced a month ago that a seemingly
imminent peace deal to end Afghanistan's 18-year war was dead. Among
the Taliban figures freed were the group’s shadow governors for
northeastern Kunar province and southwestern Nimroz province, Sheikh
Abdul Rahim and Maulvi Rashid, the officials said. The Taliban have
established a shadow government in areas they control across
Afghanistan and have even set up courts to try offenders and abide by
their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.”
Yemen
Xinhua:
Security Forces Seize Terrorist Cell Linked To Assassinations In
Yemen
“Newly-recruited security forces on Monday launched an anti-terror
operation and managed to seize a terrorist cell linked to
assassinations in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, a security
official told Xinhua. The southern forces, acting on an intelligence
tip-off, succeeded in arresting five terrorist elements who were
residing in an apartment located in one of Aden's crowded
neighborhoods, the source said on condition of anonymity. He said that
initial investigations with the arrested terrorists revealed that they
were active in drive-by shootings and assassinations in Aden.
According to the source of Aden's security command, “the terrorist
cell members admitted carrying out several assassinations against key
officials and politicians in southern Yemen.” Another military
official based in Aden confirmed to Xinhua that “our security forces
aborted a well-prepared plot masterminded by the regional outlawed
Muslim Brotherhood group.” “The plot was aimed at assassinating senior
military leaders and key political officials loyal to the Saudi
Arabia-led coalition in southern Yemen,” the source
said.”
Lebanon
The
Jerusalem Post: Lebanese Officials Speak Out Against Hezbollah's
Control Over Country
“Head of the Lebanese Kataeb party MP Sami Gemayel and leader of
the Christian Lebanese Forces political party Samir Geagea spoke out
against the control that the Hezbollah terrorist group exercises over
Lebanon as protests continued amid a deepening financial crisis in the
country, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. Gemayel pointed to a settlement
in 2016 that allowed Michel Aoun to be elected as president, claiming
that this led Lebanon to its current “catastrophic” state of affairs.
The MP added that this allowed Hezbollah to take control of the
country. “The current political class is covering for Hezbollah and is
implementing the party’s policies, whether in defending it at
international arenas or justifying its internal policies,” said
Gemayel. “We believe that a government which is clearly controlled by
Hezbollah must not be granted confidence.” Hezbollah's control over
the government embroils Lebanon in regional conflicts against the
people's will, according to the MP. Gemayel lamented the fact that the
country's president is not invited to visit the United States. “When
the government remains silent over every challenge from Lebanese
territory against Arab or foreign countries and all of Lebanon’s
historic friends, then this means that this government is complicit,”
said Gemayel.”
Middle East
Forbes:
Qatar’s Soft Power Ambitions Suffer A Setback At World Athletics
Championships
“Qatar’s quest to turn itself into a world class sporting venue of
choice has suffered a setback with the hosting of the IAAF World
Athletics Championships, which limped to the finish line on October 6.
Meagre crowds and a lack of atmosphere during most of the 10-day track
and field event was the most obvious problem, leaving competitors
underwhelmed and TV broadcasters struggling to generate a sense of
atmosphere and excitement for viewers at home.”
Egypt
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Over 1,000 Teachers Sacked In Egypt For Terror
Links
“Egypt announced on Monday that over a thousand teachers have been
sacked for their affiliation to a terrorist organization. Deputy
Education Minister for Teachers Affairs Mohammed Omar said the
ministry had clear mechanisms to identify teachers who have joined
terror groups. He told a press conference that 1,070 teachers have
been dismissed. Egypt designated the Muslim Brotherhood group as
terrorist in 2014. Hundreds of its members and leaders are on trial
for incitement or committing acts of violence. Omar explained that
given their affiliations, the sacked teachers are not qualified to
teach or work in the education sector. The fired teachers are only a
small fraction of the educators in Egypt, estimated at over 1 million,
he went on to say. He stressed that the Ministry of Education was keen
on pinpointing problems and addressing them at the
core.”
Nigeria
The
Punch Nigeria: Troops Rescue Three From Boko Haram In
Bama
“Troops of Nigerian Army have rescued three kidnapped civilians
from the Boko Haram terrorists at Firgi village in Bama Local
Government Area of Borno State. Col. Aminu Iliyasu, the Nigerian Army
Operations Media Coordinator, disclosed this in a statement on Monday
in Abuja. Iliyasu said the troops safely detonated Improvised
Explosive Devices planted on Bitta-Yamteke road in Borno State, by the
terrorists. Iliyasu explained that the victims were rescued after the
troops; acting on information blocked and engaged the terrorists in a
fierce gunfight. He confirmed that a truck loaded with grains was
recovered from the terrorists, adding that they succumbed to superior
firepower by abandoning the truck and fleeing in disarray. According
to him, the troops are still on the trail of the criminals, while the
rescued victims have been escorted safely back to their destination.
“Troops continue to dominate the area and deny the criminal elements
freedom of action within the entire theatre of operation,’’ he said.
Iliyasu also disclosed that troops have raided hideouts of some
identified kidnap kingpins in Obio/Akpor, Tai and Gokana LGAs of
Rivers State and arrested four high profile suspects.”
Somalia
Xinhua:
24 Al-Shabab Militants Killed In Somalia
“Somali army backed by Jubaland state forces on Monday killed 24
al-Shabab militants and injured more than 19 others in an offensive in
Lower Jubba region, an official confirmed. Khiyar Abdi Mohamed,
commander of one of Jubbaland units, told journalists that the joint
offensive was conducted in the outskirts of Kismayo town after the
forces got intelligence of the militants' presence in the area and the
forces inflicted severe casualties on the militants. “There was a
fierce fire exchange between our army and the militants, but the
forces defeated the extremists and killed 24 of them and injured more
than 19 others,” said the commander. He noted that among the dead
including the militants' commander in the western villages of Kismayo.
Locals reported heavy gun battle in the village. “As the militants
were gathering in the town, they were suddenly attacked by government
forces, both exchanged gunfire which caused casualties of warring
sides and the residents,” Hafsa Elmi, a resident told Xinhua by phone.
On Sept. 29, the Somali military army backed by African Union forces
killed 20 al-Shabab militants in another offensive in the country's
southern region of Lower Shabelle.”
BBC
News: US In Somalia: Is It Still A Safe Haven For
Al-Shabab?
“The US recently reopened its embassy in Somalia after 28 years,
citing security improvements in the East African nation blighted by
conflict for many years. The announcement came days after a US
military base about 90km outside Mogadishu and an EU envoy in the
capital were attacked by Islamist militant group al-Shabab. So has the
situation really stabilised?President Trump's administration has
vastly increased aid and military engagement in Somalia since assuming
office in 2017, making it a priority in its global effort to defeat
Islamist terrorism and increasing the use of airstrikes and drones to
combat militants. This surge has been accompanied by a change in the
classification of parts of Somalia to “areas of active hostilities”,
which means commanders don't need high-level approval to conduct
strikes. “Encouraged and supported by the Federal Government of
Somalia, precision airstrikes support our partner security forces'
efforts to protect the Somali people from terrorism,” the US military
told the BBC. The US military has already conducted more airstrikes in
2019 than in any previous year.”
Africa
Bloomberg:
Rwanda Searches For Motive After 14 Are Killed In Tourist
Region
“Rwandan rebels staged a rare attack Friday night in the northern
mountainous region known for gorilla trekking, killing at least 14
people, the National Police said on Sunday. Authorities killed 19
attackers and arrested five, who the police said are members of Forces
for the Liberation of Rwanda or FDLR, a rebel group based in the
neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. All visitors to Volcanoes
National Park, located in the region, “were and continue to be safe,”
state-run Rwanda Development Board said in a statement. Thousands of
guests have visited the park over the past two decades with no report
of a security incident, according to the statement. Security has been
restored in the area and the hunt for the attackers continues, the
police said in a statement on its Twitter account. Rwanda’s economy is
among Africa’s fastest-growing, partly driven by its tourism sector
that President Paul Kagame helped build as part of a recovery
programme after a genocide in 1994. While FDLR, accused of the
ethnic-based attacks has remained in place, there hasn’t been reports
of an attack by the group on Rwandan soil this year.”
Reuters:
U.N. Peacekeeper Killed, Four Wounded In Mali Mine
Attack
“A U.N. peacekeeper was killed and four others wounded on Sunday
when their vehicle hit an explosive device in northern Mali, the U.N.
mission (MINUSMA) said. The identity of the attackers was not
immediately clear. U.N. peacekeeping and French forces are stationed
in Mali to combat jihadist groups seen as threatening security across
Africa’s Sahel region. The soldiers had been participating in a patrol
near the village of Aguelhok when the blast hit, U.N. mission
spokesman Olivier Salgado tweeted. Elsewhere on Sunday, peacekeepers
in Mali’s central region of Mopti exchanged fire with members of an
unidentified armed group after they came under attack, he said.
“MINUSMA chief (Mahamat Saleh) Annadif strongly condemns the recent
resurgence of this type of attacks, particularly in the centre of the
country,” he said. The West African country has been in conflict since
2012 when Islamists hijacked an ethnic uprising by Tuaregs in the
north. More recently the violence has moved to central Mali, where
fighting between farmers and herders has also surged this year.
Jihadist groups have exploited ethnic rivalries in Mali and its
neighbours to boost recruitment and render swathes of territory
ungovernable.”
The
Defense Post: Niger Soldiers Killed In ‘Terrorist’ Attack In
Southwestern Dosso Region
“Two soldiers were killed and five others wounded in a “terrorist”
attack in southwest Niger, a region that until recently had been
spared insurgent raids, the interior ministry said on Monday, October
7. “A detachment of the security and defense forces [FDS] clashed
Sunday with heavily armed terrorists in a valley near Dogon Kiria,”
the ministry statement said. “Following intense combat the enemy was
pushed back,” it said, leaving two soldiers dead and five wounded,
while the “enemy” casualties were not yet known. It was the second
such attack in the Dogondoutchi department of Dosso region which until
recently had been spared raids by armed groups. In February, two
gendarmes and a civilian were killed in an attack by armed men at
Bagaji, a village in the region. One of the world’s poorest countries,
Niger lies in the heart of the fragile Sahel region. Niger faces
insurgency on two fronts: the southeastern Diffa region near Lake Chad
is increasingly frequently hit by Islamic State West Africa Province
fighters whose insurgency began in Nigeria, while militants based in
Mali, including al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters, are active in the west
of the country and the wider Sahel.”
United Kingdom
Daily
Mail: Activists Battling Islamist And Other Extremism Have Been Dubbed
'Uncle Toms', Shunned By Family And Friends And Received Death And
Rape Threats Says Report
“The Government's response to tackling extremism is 'inadequate',
'unfocused' and urgently needs a complete overhaul, according to a
report. Activists fighting extremism have been subjected to death
threats, sexist abuse, and been abused as 'Islamophobic', a 'sell-out'
and 'an Uncle Tom', a report by the Commission for Countering
Extremism found. Sara Khan, who leads the commission, said victims
need to be better protected, and those working to tackle extremism
need more support, as she called for changes to the current strategy.
She also said there needs to be a new task force led by the Home
Secretary involving government and public bodies in a bid to address
the problem. The independent advisory body to the Government makes
the recommendations in its first major report since it was set up in
the wake of the 2017 terrorist attacks in London and Manchester.
Far-right figures like Tommy Robinson are using rallies to spread
'anti-Muslim agenda' and 'deliberately distort the truth' to incite
'discriminatory and hateful attitudes' among supporters, according to
a report. The Commission for Countering Extremism looked at examples
of protests to measure the effect of such behaviour. In 2016 tensions
erupted in Sunderland when a woman claimed she had been gang raped by
a group of Middle Eastern men.”
BBC
News: Counter-Terror Police Arrest Four People At Luton
Airport
“Counter terror police have arrested four people on suspicion of
being members of a banned organisation. The Sri Lankan nationals were
arrested after arriving at Luton Airport on Saturday and Sunday. The
Metropolitan Police said the group were stopped under the Terrorism
Act 2000 and arrested under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
The investigation is being led by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command.
A 39-year-old man, a 35-year-old man and a 41-year-old man remain in
custody at a south London police station. A 35-year-old woman has been
bailed to a date in early November, pending further inquiries.
Membership of a proscribed organisation is contrary to section 11 of
the Terrorism Act 2000.”
Technology
CNBC:
Twitter And Facebook Could Be Facing Billions In Fines After Ireland
Investigations
“Ireland’s Data Protection Commission has concluded investigations
into Facebook’s WhatsApp and Twitter over possible breaches of EU data
privacy rules, a spokesperson for the agency revealed to CNBC Monday.
The investigations will now move into the decision-making phase,
according to Graham Doyle, head of communications for Ireland’s DPC.
During this next phase, Ireland’s chief data regulator, Helen Dixon,
will issue draft decisions, which are expected to come toward the end
of the year.”
Forbes:
Here Is What Facebook Won’t Tell You About Message
Encryption
“In the world of individual privacy and data security, this could
be the ultimate irony. Facebook, the company that has taken more fire
than any other for misusing, abusing and losing user data, has become
the last line of defence in the fight against government access to
that same user data. Led by the U.S. and U.K., Facebook is under
increasing pressure to delay plans to expand encryption across its
platforms until backdoors can be added to enable government agencies
access to user content.”
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