Eye on Extremism
October 14, 2019
The
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Military To Withdraw From Northern
Syria
“President Trump directed a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from
northern Syria, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said, effectively pulling
them from the country, removing a last impediment to Turkey’s
expanding incursion and marking an accelerated U.S. pullback from the
campaign against Islamic State. Defense officials said on Sunday that
many of the 1,000 members of the U.S. force would be moved to Iraq by
the end of the month, but wouldn’t specify what other countries might
be potential destinations. A small number of U.S. troops—about
125—would remain in southern Syria, officials
said.”
Politico:
ISIS Supporters Escape Amid Turkish Attack
“Turkish forces approached a key Kurdish-held town in northern
Syria on Sunday, setting off clashes that allowed hundreds of Islamic
State supporters to escape from a camp for displaced people and
prompted U.S. soldiers to withdraw from a nearby base. A U.S. military
official said the situation across northeastern Syria was
“deteriorating rapidly” and that American forces were cut off from the
Syrian Kurdish fighters they had previously partnered with. The
official, who was not authorized to disclose operational details and
spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. troops on the ground are at
risk of being “isolated” and cannot travel overland without a “high
risk” of armed confrontation with Turkey-backed forces. The camp in
Ein Eissa, some 20 miles south of the border, is home to some 12,000
people, including 1,000 wives and widows of Islamic State fighters and
their children. The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria said
in a statement that 950 IS supporters escaped after attacking guards
and storming the gates. It was not immediately possible to confirm
that figure. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
said Turkish warplanes struck villages near the camp on Sunday.”
The
Telegraph: Turkey May Have Targeted US Forces With Artillery In Syria,
Coalition Source Claims
“Turkey may have deliberately targeted US forces with artillery in
northern Syria in order to push them out, coalition sources have told
the Daily Telegraph. US officials confirmed an explosion occurred near
where a small contingent of its special forces were based on a hill
near the town of Kobane. They said the cause of the explosion had not
been confirmed but local reports suggested it was either an artillery
or air strike. No US personnel were injured.”
France
24: More Than A Dozen Killed In Northern Burkina Faso Mosque
Attack
“Armed men stormed a mosque in the volatile north of Burkina Faso
as worshippers were at prayer, killing 16 people and sending residents
fleeing, security sources and locals said Saturday. The attack on the
Grand Mosque in the town of Salmossi on Friday evening underscores the
difficulties faced by the country in its battle against jihadists. One
source said 13 people died on the spot and three succumbed to their
injuries later. Two of the wounded are in critical condition. “Since
this morning, people have started to flee the area,” one resident from
the nearby town of Gorom-Gorom said. He said there was a “climate of
panic despite military reinforcements” that were deployed after the
deadly attack. Although hit by jihadist violence, many Burkinabes
oppose the presence of foreign troops -- notably from former colonial
ruler France -- on their territory. On Saturday, a crowd of about
1,000 people marched in the capital Ouagadougou “to denounce terrorism
and the presence of foreign military bases in Africa.” “Terrorism has
now become an ideal pretext for installing foreign military bases in
our country,” said Gabin Korbeogo, one of co-organisers of the
march.”
The
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Moves To Restart Taliban Peace
Process
“U.S. officials and representatives of the Afghan Taliban have
begun discussing ways to revive a peace process after talks fell apart
last month, according to people familiar with the discussions. The top
U.S. envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, met
international diplomatic counterparts in New York in late September
and met with the Taliban in Pakistan earlier this month. The meetings
touched on confidence-building measures that could include a possible
prisoner swap or a reduction in violence, according to the people
familiar with the discussions. President Trump last month declared
that talks with the Taliban were dead, and abruptly canceled plans to
meet Taliban officials at the Camp David presidential retreat to
complete an agreement hashed out during a year of bilateral talks,
amid opposition from top aides and cabinet members. At a rally in
Minnesota last week, Mr. Trump appeared to signal openness to return
to the table to end the 18-year-old war. “The single greatest mistake
our country made, in its history, was going into the quicksand,” Mr.
Trump said. “We’re pulling people out and we’re trying to make good
deals and we’re going to bring our soldiers back home.”
Yall
Africa: Nigeria: Shekau Breaks Silence, Says Boko Haram Members Will
Never Stop Violence
“The Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, on Sunday broke his
longtime silence to speak on the Borno governor's recent call on
insurgents to lay down their arms and embrace government's amnesty
programme. In an 18 minutes audio message, Mr Shekau, who spoke in his
native Kanuri language and in Hausa, faulted the governor's claims
that some of the insurgents that were forced to join Boko Haram are
tired of fighting. The Boko Haram leader said none of his members was
tired of fighting and that they would continue fighting till their
last breathe. This is the first video by the terror group's fugitive
leader in several months.”
United States
Fox
News: Family Of US Citizen Imprisoned In Lebanon Pleads For His
Release: ‘This Is A Cry For Help’
“A New Hampshire family is pleading for President Trump to secure
their father’s safe return from Lebanon, where he is being detained
without charges and his family says he was physically abused by
Lebanese authorities. Amer Fakhoury, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was
arrested in his native Lebanon during a family trip last month after a
Hezbollah-backed newspaper accused him of torturing Hezbollah and
Palestinian prisoners in the 1980s and 1990s.”
Syria
The
New York Times: Trump Orders Withdrawal Of U.S. Troops From Northern
Syria
“Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said Sunday that President Trump
ordered a withdrawal of American forces from northern Syria, a
decision that will effectively cede control of the area to the Syrian
government and Russia, and could allow a resurgence of the Islamic
State. Mr. Esper, appearing on both Fox News and CBS News, said that
American troops, mostly Special Operations forces, would leave the
northeastern part of the country in the face of Turkey’s incursion
into the section of Syria controlled by Kurdish forces, a group of
fighters trained and backed by the United States government.”
The
New York Times: Pullback Leaves Green Berets Feeling ‘Ashamed,’ And
Kurdish Allies Describing ‘Betrayal’
“American commandos were working alongside Kurdish forces at an
outpost in eastern Syria last year when they were attacked by columns
of Syrian government tanks and hundreds of troops, including Russian
mercenaries. In the next hours, the Americans threw the Pentagon’s
arsenal at them, including B-52 strategic bombers. The attack was
stopped. That operation, in the middle of the American-led campaign
against the Islamic State in Syria, showed the extent to which the
United States military was willing to protect the Syrian Kurds, its
main ally on the ground.”
The
Wall Street Journal: The Turk And The President
“President Trump prides himself on one-on-one diplomacy, but too
often it results in rash and damaging decisions like his abrupt order
Sunday for U.S. troops to retreat from northern Syria. Turkish
strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now dictating terms to the American
President, and the consequences are likely to be felt far beyond Syria
and Turkey. Mr. Trump made his decision after a phone call with Mr.
Erdogan in which we now know the Turk said he wanted to follow through
on his threat to invade. U.S. officials had been negotiating for
months with Turkey to establish a safe zone in the region that would
protect Kurdish and Turkish interests while maintaining the gains
against Islamic State.”
The
New York Times: 12 Hours. 4 Syrian Hospitals Bombed. One Culprit:
Russia.
“The Russian Air Force has repeatedly bombed hospitals in Syria in
order to crush the last pockets of resistance to President Bashar
al-Assad, according to an investigation by The New York Times. An
analysis of previously unpublished Russian Air Force radio recordings,
plane spotter logs and witness accounts allowed The Times to trace
bombings of four hospitals in just 12 hours in May and tie Russian
pilots to each one.”
The
Washington Post: U. S.-Allied Kurds Strike Deal To Bring Assad’s
Syrian Troops Back Into Kurdish Areas
“Syrian government troops began moving toward towns near the
Turkish border Sunday night under a deal struck with Syrian Kurds,
following a chaotic day that saw the unraveling of the U.S. mission in
northern Syria. Hundreds of Islamic State family members escaped a
detention camp after Turkish shellfire hit the area, U.S. troops
pulled out from another base and Turkish-backed forces consolidated
their hold over a vital highway, cutting the main U.S. supply route
into Syria.”
The
New Yorker: Chaos In Syria: ISIS Detainees Escape As The U.S. Pulls
Out
“In between rounds at his golf club, on both Saturday and Sunday,
President Trump decided that he was done with Syria. He ordered the
evacuation of a thousand U.S. Special Forces troops deployed to
contain isis, the jihadi movement that still has tens of thousands of
members waging an underground insurgency across Syria and Iraq. For
five years, the Americans have been the backbone of support—providing
air power, intelligence, and strategic advice—for the Syrian
Democratic Forces. The Kurdish-led militia did the actual fighting
against isis, losing eleven thousand fighters along the way. It
evolved into one of the most important U.S. allies anywhere in the
Middle East. More than seventy nations joined the coalition backing
the S.D.F., but the United States has been the glue holding it
together.”
NPR:
U.S. Forces Prepare To Leave Northeast Syria
“U.S. forces fighting ISIS could leave northeast Syria in just
days. They are caught between two opposing armies: the Turkish
military and Syrian Kurdish forces.”
CNN:
Mattis Warns 'ISIS Will Resurge' If US Doesn't Keep Pressure
On
“Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned “ISIS will
resurge” if the US does not keep the pressure on, days after the White
House announced US forces in northern Syria would pull back in advance
of a planned Turkish military offensive. “In this case, if we don't
keep the pressure on, then ISIS will resurge. It's absolutely a given
that they will come back,” Mattis told NBC in a clip released Saturday
by the news organization ahead of Sunday's “Meet the Press.” Mattis
resigned in December after President Donald Trump's plans to withdraw
troops from Syria became public. The retired four-star general was
privately adamant in urging Trump against the pullback. “ISIS is not
defeated,” Mattis told NBC. “We have got to keep the pressure on ISIS
so they don't recover.” The move to pull back troops from the area
ahead of the Turkish military offensive drew widespread criticism,
including from top Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell. It was a major shift in US foreign policy and some
lawmakers and the Syrian Democratic Forces have argued it effectively
gave Turkey the green light to attack US-backed Kurdish forces, though
Trump administration officials have argued Turkey would have invaded
regardless of the presence of US troops.”
NBC
News: U.S. Troops To Withdraw From Northern Syria As ISIS Supporters
Escape Amid Alleged Turkish Atrocities
“The U.S. military this weekend accelerated its plans to fully
withdraw from Syria as Turkish forces continued their advance in the
country's north and reports of human rights atrocities emerged. About
1,000 troops will leave the area “as safely and quickly as possible,”
Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CBS' “Face the Nation” in an
interview Sunday. President Donald Trump late Saturday signed off on
the order, which would end most of the U.S. military's presence there,
two U.S. military officials in the region told NBC News. Only around
300 soldiers would remain in the U.S. military's Al Tanf base in the
south, the officials said. The order, which has not been carried out
yet, came as the Turkish military escalated its military operation in
the region, driving the area into further instability. Syrian
government troops were set to deploy along the border with Turkey to
help Kurdish fighters fend off the invasion, while hundreds of Islamic
State group supporters escaped from a displacement camp earlier
Sunday.Esper said that the spiraling conflict had become “untenable”
for the U.S. military.”
The
New York Times: Abandoned By U.S. In Syria, Kurds Find New Ally In
American Foe
“Kurdish forces long allied with the United States in Syria
announced a new deal on Sunday with the government in Damascus, a
sworn enemy of Washington that is backed by Russia, as Turkish troops
moved deeper into their territory and President Trump ordered the
withdrawal of the American military from northern Syria. The sudden
shift marked a major turning point in Syria’s long war. For five
years, United States policy relied on collaborating with the
Kurdish-led forces both to fight the Islamic State and to limit the
influence of Iran and Russia, which support the Syrian government,
with a goal of maintaining some leverage over any future settlement of
the conflict. On Sunday, after Mr. Trump abruptly abandoned that
approach, American leverage appeared all but gone. That threatened to
give President Bashar al-Assad and his Iranian and Russian backers a
free hand. It also jeopardized hard-won gains against the Islamic
State — and potentially opened the door for its return. The Kurds’
deal with Damascus paved the way for government forces to return to
the country’s northeast for the first time in years to try to repel a
Turkish invasion launched after the Trump administration pulled
American troops out of the way.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Affiliates Break Free From Camp In
Syria
“Hundreds of foreign women and children linked to Islamic State
escaped from a camp in northeastern Syria when Turkish-backed fighters
attacked it, U.S.-backed Kurdish forces controlling the area said,
raising fears that the Turkish offensive will undermine American
efforts to eliminate the extremist group. The incident occurred at the
camp of Ain Eissa, located along a highway Turkey had identified as
strategic in the offensive it launched last week to drive Syrian
Kurdish forces away from its border. The Kurdish-led administration
that runs northeastern Syria said Islamic State affiliates inside the
camp took advantage of the Turkish attack to overpower the guards and
force the gates open, allowing 785 people to run away. A humanitarian
worker in contact with people in Ain Eissa said the camp’s management
had fled after Turkish bombardment in the area. The U.S. and other
foreign governments have warned the Turkish offensive risks spreading
more mayhem in the war-ravaged country and will distract the
Kurdish-led militia, known as Syrian Democratic Forces, from combating
Islamic State remnants and sleeper cells. The number of people
displaced by the incursion had risen to 130,000 people by Sunday, the
United Nations said.”
The
Independent: Man Jailed For Fighting With Al-Qaeda In Syria After
Being Filmed In Vice Documentary
“A man has been jailed for fighting with jihadis in Syria after
being filmed in a documentary. Mohammed Yamin, now 25, initially
denied joining al-Qaeda but investigators matched voice recordings
made by police to previous recordings of a masked British militant
caught on camera in 2013. Wearing a khaki balaclava, he appeared in a
Vice documentary alongside fighters in Isis and Jabhat al-Nusra, which
were both al-Qaeda factions at the time. Yamin was shown posing with
an assault rifle in front of the black flag adopted by Isis, and
threatening terror attacks in the UK. He urged British people to
“remove your government” and made reference to the murder of Lee
Rigby, adding: “You will take the blame for the crimes committed
worldwide by Britain itself. So we have to fight, it’s part of our
obligation to protect our honour, protect our women.” A court heard
that Yamin went to Syria in July 2013 as a 20-year-old student and
fought for a year before returning to the UK. Security services knew
him as an associate of Jafar Turay, a Muslim convert and former London
rapper who travelled to the warzone after fleeing Britain while being
investigated over a stabbing. Yamin, who had previously been studying
civil engineering, was arrested after landing at Heathrow Airport in
2014.”
Reuters:
Islamic State Family Members Escape Camp As Turkey-Backed Forces Close
In: Kurdish-Led Authority
“An offensive by Turkey and its Syrian allies is nearing a camp for
displaced people in northern Syria holding thousands of members of
“Islamic State families”, some of whom have managed to escape after
the site was shelled, Kurdish officials said. The shelling of the camp
at Ain Issa north of Raqqa represented “support for the revival of the
Daesh organization once again”, the Kurdish-led administration for
northern and eastern Syria said, referring to Islamic State
militants.”
Iran
The
New York Times: It’s Time To Talk To Iran
“This month, six years ago, we were in the midst of secret talks
with Iran that led to the comprehensive nuclear agreement. It was a
moment when diplomacy carried considerable risk, and considerable
promise. Today, the promise has faded, and the risk is accelerating.
The consequences of the Trump administration’s foolish decision to
abandon that nuclear deal last year, with no evidence of Iranian
noncompliance, were predictable — and predicted. We are now at a very
dangerous point. The story of how we got here is one of faulty
expectations on both sides.”
Iraq
Foreign
Policy: Iraq Confronts Its Own Prisoner’s
Dilemma
“With Turkish strikes on northern Syria underway, fears about the
potential release of Islamic State fighters held in makeshift prisons
there have grown. But as observers focus on Syria, the fate of
fighters in Iraq may be more pressing. Indeed, a huge number of
Islamic State members currently behind bars are Iraqi nationals. And
Iraqi government policy toward them will have a direct effect on the
Islamic State’s behavior, its support among the local population, and,
as a result, the long-term stability of the country. To evaluate
public perceptions of how the Iraqi government is treating the
detainees, we conducted a survey of 400 civilians in Mosul, many of
whom had been victimized by the Islamic State, as well as 200 people
living in camps outside of the city with family members with declared
affiliations with the Islamic State. The survey took place between
December 2018 and January. The first set of questions dealt with who
should even count as an Islamic State supporter. Both civilians from
Mosul and people with Islamic State affiliations agreed that the
group’s leadership and fighters should be prosecuted. That makes
sense. Both groups of people surveyed see themselves as victims of
Islamic State leaders, although for different reasons.”
Xinhua:
4 IS Militants Killed In Airstrike In Eastern Iraq
“Four Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Saturday in
airstrikes on their hideouts in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a
provincial official said. Iraqi warplanes conducted airstrikes on
three IS hideouts near Himreen Lake in north of the provincial capital
Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, Sadiq al-Husseini, head of
the security committee of the provincial council, told Xinhua. The
airstrikes destroyed the three hideouts and killed four IS militants
inside, al-Husseini said citing intelligence reports. Despite repeated
military operations in Diyala province, remnants of IS militants are
still hiding in some rugged areas near the border with Iran, and in
the sprawling areas extending from the western part of the province to
the Himreen mountain range in north of Baquba. The security situation
in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully
defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017.
IS remnants, however, have since melted in urban areas or resorted to
deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out frequent
guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.”
Afghanistan
Radio
Free Europe: Afghan Forces Retake Taliban-Controlled
District
“Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says government forces have gained
control of a district in the country's north from the Taliban. In a
statement, the ministry said the Dash-e Archi district of Kunduz
Province, along the border with Tajikistan, was retaken on October 12.
Afghan special forces units stormed the center of the district and
“destroyed enemy strongholds” and “inflicted heavy casualties on the
enemy,” the statement said. The statement added that U.S troops
supported Afghan forces. Dasht-e Archi has been largely under the
control of the Taliban since 2015. The Taliban has maintained a strong
presence in Kunduz, a strategically and economically important
northern province. The militants took control of the provincial
capital, Kunduz, for two weeks in 2015. The city, the country’s fifth
largest, has come under attack several times since then. The Defense
Ministry said government forces had retaken 12 Taliban-controlled
districts in the provinces of Ghazni, Badakhshan, Kunduz, Takhar, and
Faryab in the past six months. The Taliban contests or controls nearly
half of the country.”
Yemen
Xinhua:
2 Yemeni Civilians Killed By Houthi Sniping Operation
“A total of two Yemeni civilians were killed on Saturday during a
sniping operation carried out by the Houthi rebel group in the
southern province of Dhale, a security official told Xinhua. The local
security source said on condition of anonymity that a Houthi sniper
killed two civilians near their house in the northern parts of Dhale,
where fighting is still taking place. The Houthi operation was
apparently aimed at the pro-government soldiers positioned in the area
of Qataba, the source said.”
Financial
Times: Riyadh Holds Talks With Houthis In Effort To Break Yemen
Deadlock
“Saudi Arabia has been holding talks with Houthi rebels for the
first time in more than two years in a sign Riyadh wants to
de-escalate hostilities in Yemen in the wake of last month’s attacks
on its oil facilities. The “back-channel” negotiations began after the
Iran-aligned Houthis announced on September 20 that they would cease
drone and missile attacks on the kingdom, people briefed on the talks
said. A week earlier, the Houthis had claimed to have launched the
strikes that hit Saudi Arabia’s biggest crude processing facility and
the Khurais oilfield, temporarily knocking out half of oil production
in the world’s top oil exporter and underscoring the vulnerability of
its energy infrastructure.”
Saudi Arabia
The
Wall Street Journal: Iran’s Expanded Missile Arsenal Presents
Challenge For U.S., Saudi Arabia
“The U.S. announcement on Friday that it is delivering more
missile-defense systems and troops to Saudi Arabia intensifies a
face-off with Iran—which has warned that an attack on the country
would trigger an “all-out war.” The Islamic Republic would be a vastly
different opponent than it was when the U.S. last targeted the country
directly in 1988. Iran now has thousands of missiles, many of them
able to reach Israel, into the Mediterranean and, in some
cases—according to the U.S.—evade Saudi defenses. It has troops or
loyal militias able to fire missiles from Yemen, Iraq, Syria and
Lebanon. And it has more than two million regular and special forces,
reserves and paramilitary fighters at its disposal.”
Egypt
The
Washington Post: 9 Members Of Same Family Killed In Attack In Egypt’s
Sinai
“A shell hit a truck carrying civilians in Egypt’s restive northern
Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, killing at least nine people of the same
family, security officials and medics said. The officials said the
shell exploded in the small town of Bir al-Abd. At least six others
were wounded and were taken to a hospital, they said. It was not
immediately clear who was behind the shelling, which struck the family
while they were returning home from their olive farm, according to two
residents in the town. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity
out of concern for their safety. Separately, officials say seven
security forces were wounded when two explosive devices hit armored
vehicles in Bir al-Abd and the town of Rafah, along the border with
Gaza. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were
not authorized to brief the media. No group claimed responsibility for
the attacks. Egypt is battling an Islamic State-led insurgency in the
Sinai that intensified after the military overthrew an Islamist
president in 2013. The militants have carried out scores of attacks,
mainly targeting the security forces and minority Christians. Bir
al-Abd was the site of a horrific 2017 attack on a mosque by Islamic
extremists that killed over 300 worshippers.”
Africanews:
Egypt Sentences Six Found Guilty Of Terrorism To
Death
“An Egyptian court has sentenced six people to death on
terror-related charges for carrying out a militant attack outside a
hotel near the famed Giza Pyramids. The Giza criminal court on
Saturday also sentenced eight defendants to life in prison on similar
charges that include attacking security forces, and possession of
weapons and explosives. Another 12 defendants received 10 years in
prison. The verdict can be appealed. The charges stem from an attack
in Jan. 2016 on an Egyptian security post outside the Three Pyramids
Hotel. No one was hurt in the incident, but the attack damaged the
hotel’s facade and also a bus parked in front of the building, which
was in use by a group of visiting Arab Israelis.”
Nigeria
Sahara
Reporters: Ten High-Ranking Boko Haram Leaders Captured In
Borno
“The Nigerian Army has captured 10 suspected top leaders of Boko
Haram in Borno. Alhaji Bukar Modu, who is on the wanted list
published by the army, is one of them. In a statement by the
Operations Media Coordinator, Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, the suspects were
said to have been apprehended while attempting to sneak into some
communities around Bitta in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State
in a bid to escape. He added that most of the suspects are known to
have operated combat vehicles during the attack in Gwoza in 2014. The
statement read, “For instance, during a successful sting operation
conducted on October 9, 2019 by troops of the 26Task Force Brigade, 10
suspected key Boko Haram members were reportedly captured while
attempting to sneak into some communities around Bitta in Gwoza LGA of
Borno State in a bid to escape the troops’ sustained onslaught against
them. “Preliminary investigation reveals that the arrested criminals
are ranked higher than the Amir in the criminals’ hierarchy. “Many of
them have been identified to have operated combat vehicles during the
infamous Boko Haram attack on Gwoza in 2014.”
Xinhua:
39 Militants Killed In NW Nigeria In One Week
“At least 39 armed men have been killed and others wounded in two
different operations by the Nigerian army in Zamfara state, northwest
Nigeria this week, an army spokesperson said Saturday. The operations
were carried out in Bakura and Anka axis of the state, Oni Orisan, an
spokesman for “Operation Hadarin Daji” said in a statement. He said 19
of the “bandits” were killed in an encounter with the army in the
bushes of Anka while the 20 were killed in Bakura. Orisan reiterated
that the soldiers would not attack any repentant militants, and those
unrepentant ones who carry guns and move around in large numbers would
be treated as hostile. He urged the unrepentant armed men to surrender
their arms to constituted authorities and embrace the peace initiative
of the state government. A series of “bandit” attacks have been
recorded in the northwest part of the west African country since the
beginning of this year, leading to more troops and equipment deployed
to the area.”
Somalia
Reuters:
Mortar Bombs Strike Somalia's Mogadishu Airport, Six Injured:
Source
“At least three mortar bombs were fired on Sunday at Mogadishu’s
international airport, injuring at least six people in the compound
where several embassies are located, a diplomatic source said. The
missions of the United Nations and African Union, as well as several
embassies, are based inside the perimeter fence. The Horn of Africa
nation has been plagued by conflict since clan warlords overthrew a
dictator in 1991. This was followed by fighting between rival clans
and an Islamist insurgency. Al Qaeda-aligned Al Shabaab, which seeks
to topple the U.N.-backed government, often launches attacks in
Mogadishu and across the country. It did not immediately claim
responsibility for Sunday’s attack and could not be reached for
comment. The Somali government could also not be reached for comment.
Residents living near the airport told Reuters several mortar bombs
were fired at the compound. The diplomatic source said six people were
injured after three mortar bombs were fired. “I am appalled by this
blatant act of terrorism against our personnel...Thankfully, the
majority of our staff is unhurt,” U.N. envoy James Swan said in a
statement. Al Shabaab has been trying for years to oust the central
government and implement its strict version of Islamic law.”
Africa
Bloomberg:
Worst Jihadist Attack In Years Stokes Anger Over Mali’s
Response
“One of the deadliest militant attacks in the seven-year Islamist
insurgency in Mali has stoked fresh anger over the government’s
failure to halt jihadist raids, months after protests forced the prime
minister to resign. The Sahel region, the arid band on the southern
fringe of the Sahara Desert, is experiencing unprecedented levels of
violence as Islamist militants seek to extend their influence across
West Africa. Terrorist threats are spreading in Burkina Faso and to
border areas with Benin, Ghana and Togo to the south, according to the
United Nations. The increasing insecurity is draining state coffers in
the affected countries: Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries,
and Mali allocate about a fifth of their annual budgets to defense.
The latest attacks on Oct. 1 targeted two Malian army bases, including
one at Boulkessi in a desolate area near the Burkina Faso border where
at least 38 soldiers died. Several dozen others are still missing and
details about the raid have been slow to emerge. Al-Qaeda’s West
Africa affiliate on Oct. 8 claimed responsibility for the raids. There
have been protests over the violence in the capital, Bamako, and other
towns. As the government was compiling a death toll, the wives and
children of army personnel took to the streets, demanding to know the
fate of their loved ones.”
Voice
Of America: Kenya: Police Chief Says Roadside Bomb Kills 11
Officers
“Kenya's police chief says a roadside bomb has killed 11 officers
on the country's southern border with Somalia. Inspector General
Hillary Mutyambai said Saturday the officers' patrol car was blown up
on Damajale Hare Hare road near the town of Liboi. No one has claimed
responsibility for the bomb, but al-Shabab militants from Somalia are
suspected. The al-Qaida-linked group has increasingly targeted Kenyan
security forces in recent years. It vowed to take retribution on Kenya
in 2011 for sending troops into Somalia to target its fighters. In
July, Kenyan border police killed three suspected al-Shabab members
who allegedly blew up their vehicle near the Somali border. A January
attack on a Nairobi luxury hotel complex by al-Shabab extremists
killed 21 people.”
United Kingdom
Irish
Examiner: 'Spike' In Dissident Activity Concerns Garda Intelligence
Service Amid Brexit Uncertainty
“The Garda's security chief talks to Cormac O'Keeffe about
dissidents, Brexit and the jihadist threat. The recent spike in bomb
attacks in the North, aimed at killing police officers, is of
particular concern for the Garda's top security chief. Apart from the
obvious risk to the lives of Michael O'Sullivan's colleagues in the
PSNI, the incidents flag a warning in relation to the increased
bomb-making capabilities of dissident groups.”
The
Guardian: Isis ‘Beatles’ Should Face Trial In UK, Says Former Director
Of Public Prosecutions
“The UK government has been accused of acting like “a banana
republic” after suppressing charges against the British group of Isis
militants known as “the Beatles” out of fears that trying them at home
could set a precedent for mass jihadist repatriations.Prosecutors
charged one member of the group, Alexanda Kotey, with multiple counts
of murder in 2016 but the Home Office made no attempt to bring him
home to face justice because, sources say, then home secretary Theresa
May felt it was politically problematic. Kotey was a member of the
so-called “Isis Beatles” gang accused of beheading seven westerners,
and last Thursday was transferred from Kurdish detention in Syria to
US military custody in Iraq ahead of a potential US trial where he
could face the death penalty. Court documents reveal that the
35-year-old was charged with five counts of murder and eight counts of
hostage-taking in February 2016 by the Crown Prosecution Service and
warrants were issued for his arrest. However, UK ministers continued
to publicly claim it had no evidence against the Londoner, insisting
the best chance of prosecution was to send him to the US, where he is
now expected to be tried in Virginia, a state which has the death
penalty.”
France
24: Manchester Stabbing Suspect ‘Acted Alone’, British Police
Say
“British police said a man arrested over a stabbing incident
officers initially treated as terrorism that injured five people in a
shopping centre in northern England on Friday is now believed to have
acted alone. The man attacked people around him and chased two unarmed
officers shortly after entering Manchester’s Arndale shopping centre
in the heart of the city at about 11.15 a.m. (1015 GMT), police said.
He was overpowered by armed officers, with pictures on social media
showing them using a stun gun to detain him. The man, in his 40s, who
was arrested on suspicion of terrorism, has been assessed by doctors
and is detained under the Mental Health Act, Greater Manchester police
said in a statement. There is not believed to be any wider threat to
the public and the attacker is believed to have acted alone, police
said. “He was armed with a large knife and ... he began lunging and
attacking people with the knife,” Assistant Chief Constable Russ
Jackson told reporters. “Two unarmed police community support officers
... attempted to confront the attacker. He then chased them with a
knife as they were calling for urgent assistance. The man attacked
people around him and we understand five people were injured by
him.”
The
Independent: Former Islamist And Far-Right Extremists Unite Forces To
Fight Rising Hate
“In June 2009, Anjem Choudary acolyte Jesse Morton was working with
al-Qaeda supporters to spread the call to jihad across America. More
than 3,500 miles away, in the British seaside town of Lowestoft,
single father Ivan Humble was helping form the English Defence League
(EDL). For years, the two men fought ideological battles on opposing
sides, using each other’s groups to accelerate a cycle of
radicalisation spreading across the English-speaking world. Mr
Humble’s campaign against Choudary’s extremism morphed into broad
anti-Muslim hatred, while Mr Morton’s writings inspired terrorists
including the London Stock Exchange bomb plotters and the man who
planned to blow up the Pentagon.In 2011, both their journeys were
brought to an end. Mr Morton was arrested and jailed for threatening
the creators of animated TV sitcom South Park for mocking the prophet
Muhammad. In the UK, a chance meeting with a Muslim started a process
of dialogue that led Mr Humble to quit the EDL. Now, both men have
joined forces to fight both Islamist and far-right extremism by using
their experience to prevent others from following the same path.
Speaking to The Independent, they warned that authorities “haven’t
learned the lessons” of the chain reaction sparked by Choudary and his
followers in the Noughties, and were letting extremism rise once
more.”
Germany
The
Times Of Israel: Rooting Out Evil
“While Germany has confronted its past and continues to educate and
advocate, not enough is being done to confront its historical record.
Campaign posters in so-called ‘Luther country’ Thuringia have raised
the specter of antisemitism in recent days. Apparently and according
to reports, the NPD party, which is classified as a “neo-Nazi party by
the Counter Extremism Project,” is using images of Martin Luther and
slogans like “defend the homeland” on campaign signs.”
The
New Yorker: A Terrorist Attack On Yom Kippur In Halle,
Germany
“Ezra Waxman likes being Jewish in Europe. There is an opportunity,
he says, to lay the roots of a new, living Jewish culture. Originally
from Boston, he moved to Berlin two months ago, for a postdoc position
in mathematics at the Technical University of Dresden. He’d been
invited, along with a dozen or so other young Jewish expats, to spend
Yom Kippur in Halle, a small city about a hundred miles from the
capital. Halle’s prewar Jewish population was around thirteen hundred;
by 1944, around ninety remained. Today, most of the Jewish community
in Halle came to Germany from the collapsing Soviet Union, as part of
a refugee program called Kontingentflüchtlingsgesetz. Waxman, who is
thirty-one, earnest, and gently provocative, had been excited to share
with them the singing and dancing that he’d grown up with in the U.S.
“Even just knowing the songs helps create a choir and gives a lot more
power to the service,” Waxman said. “It raises the bar of the
religious experience.” This past Wednesday, fifty or so older,
Russian-speaking Jews and ten young Americans, a few Germans, a Pole,
an Austrian, and a Brit had gathered in the synagogue, rebuilt after
the war in the pseudo-Moorish style, its sceptre-like domes rising
from behind a brick wall, the men in the front of the mid-century
sanctuary and the women in the back.”
Deutsche
Welle: Support Falls For Germany's Far-Right AfD After Halle
Attack
“The deadly anti-Semitic attack in the eastern city of Halle has
already dented approval ratings for the far-right Alternative for
Germany (AfD) party, according to polling done for German broadcasters
RTL and n-tv published on Saturday. Support for the nationalist party
dropped two points in two days, from 13 percent on Wednesday morning,
before news of the assault on a Halle synagogue broke, to 11 percent
by Friday. Perhaps even more striking than the loss in support, the
poll found that an overwhelming 90 percent of Germans who do not vote
AfD agreed with the sentence “as a result of their positions and
choice of words, the AfD paves the way for right-wing extremist acts
of violence.” Furthermore, 76 percent of Germans who do not support
the AfD said they are worried that far-right ideologies and xenophobia
are becoming dangerously acceptable. The AfD, which is openly
anti-immigration and Islamophobic, and has had high-profile members
linked to anti-Semitic statements and incidents, was the target of
hefty critique both before and after the attack that left two people
dead and two injured when a right-wing extremist opened fire. Shortly
before the violence in Halle, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer accused
the AfD of inciting hatred, accusing them of attempting to commit
“spiritual arson” in the public discourse.”
Europe
Irish
Examiner: Watchdog To Police Online Terrorist Content
“He said this is despite warning from “security experts” that it is
inevitable Ireland will be targeted and that our services are not
prepared for it. This was stated in a recent report by the Counter
Extremism Project, detailed in the Irish Examiner recently. The Garda
chief said it is difficult to say how many suspected jihadists they
are supervising here, but said that “fewer than 50” people are of
interest because of “Salafi Jihadism”, referring to an extreme version
of Islam.”
Australia
Daily
Mail: Right Wing Extremist Accused Of Terror Plot Allegedly Wrote A
'Patriot's Cookbook' Urging Others To Attack Muslims
“A man charged with plotting against left-wing Melbourne groups
allegedly tried to make a how-to terror guide he hoped would lead to
'thousands upon thousands' of attacks. Phillip Galea, 34, is charged
with one count of preparing for a terrorist attack on the Melbourne
Anarchist Club and Melbourne Resistance Centre between August 2015 and
2016. Galea equated the 'left wing' with Muslims and held the former
responsible for the 'Muslimisation of Australia,' prosecutor Richard
Maidment QC told a Supreme Court jury on Monday. The accused terror
plotter also worked on a document called the 'Patriot's Cookbook,'
aimed at inciting others to violence.Galea said it would lead to
'thousands upon thousands' of terrorist acts, Mr Maidment alleged. The
accused was associated with the far-right group Reclaim Australia,
spoke about targeting left-wing rallies and googled 'kill Muslims,'
the prosecutor said.”
The
Guardian: Christchurch Attack: New Zealand Tries New Tactic To Disrupt
Online Extremism
“The New Zealand government will create a dedicated investigative
team to find and prosecute terrorist and extremist content online,
seven months after a gunman live-streamed the mass murder of 51
worshippers at two Christchurch mosques. Prime minister Jacinda Ardern
said NZ$17m would be spent over four years to employ 17 new full-time
staff, allowing the department of internal affairs to double its
investigative, forensic, intelligence and prevention work in
partnership with other countries.”
Southeast Asia
The
Australian: Asia Faces A Rise In Terrorism Recruits
“Southeast Asia faces a resurgence of ISIS recruitment and
potential lone wolf terror attacks as a result of the chaos in
northeastern Syria where hundreds of Islamic State-linked detainees
escaped from a Kurdish camp late Sunday, regional terror experts have
warned. As many as 700 Indonesians and more than 50 Malaysians, among
them hardened ISIS fighters but mostly their wives and young children,
are believed to be among tens of thousands held in camps and pop-up
prisons across Kurdish-held Syria.”
Xinhua:
Indonesian Police Arrest Alleged Militants Plotting Strike In
Bali
“The anti-terror squad of Indonesian national police has nabbed two
alleged militants who had secretly planned to launch a strike in the
country's Bali resort island, a police officer said on Saturday.
Achmad Taufikurrahman and his son Zaid AliIbrahim were arrested in
Jembrana of the island on Thursday, spokesman of police office in Bali
province Senior Commissioner Hengky Widjaja said. “The two persons
were captured in Bali island,” the spokesman said, adding they are
loyal to a leader of IS terrorist group Abu Bakar Al Bagdadi. Both
terrorists had carried out preparation for launching an attack in Bali
island, the center of Indonesian tourism industry, said Hengky. The
two militants also have linkages with Syaril Alamsyah alias Abu Rara,
the assailant who stabbed Indonesian chief security minister Wiranto
on Thursday, local media reported. Wiranto was attacked as he was
getting out of a car in a town square in Banten province. Militants
had staged several terrorist strikes in Indonesia, including the
multiple suicide attacks in East Java and Riau provinces in May, 2018,
and suicide strikes at a police station and a Starbucks Cafe in the
heart of Jakarta which killed eight people in January 2016.”
The
Pioneer: Hizb-Ut-Tahrir Bigger Menace Than ISIS
“Following India’s decision to revoke the special status of Jammu
& Kashmir, there were protests by anti-India elements outside the
India House in London during the Independence Day celebrations. One
such protest was organised by Hizb-ut-Tahrir or “the Party of the
Liberation”, a radical Islamist group which calls for the
establishment of the caliphate in the Muslim world with a view to
uniting the Muslim ummah. Following allegations that the Pakistan
envoy to Bangladesh, Mohammad Mazhar Khan, had laundered money for
Hizb-ut-Tahrir and other Islamist groups in Bangladesh, the envoy was
recalled, according to a report in the Counter-Extremism Project.”
Technology
The
Daily Beast: Tales Of Crypto-Currency: Bitcoin Jihad In Syria And
Beyond
“When President Donald J. Trump talks about the withdrawal of
American forces from Syria, he’s turning his back on more than U.S.
allies and the problem of their hardened prisoners from the so-called
Islamic State. The president also turns his back on what has in many
ways become a proving ground in the war on terrorism. Syria has been
an incubator for every innovation to the global jihad in the last
decade: social media recruitment, lone-wolf inspiration, and, as of
the last few years, the essential pillar of any terrorist group:
financing. A terrorist organization cannot exist without money, and
since 9/11 draining those resources has been an indispensable
component of fighting them. But what progress the world has made
against terrorist financing in Syria is becoming increasingly
irrelevant as ISIS, al Qaeda, and other jihadi groups are reviving
once-dying fundraising machines with a previously untapped resource:
crypto-currency. When I began tracking terrorist financing rings in
the late 1990s, they relied on charities and person-to-person
resources like hawalas, which are systems of transferring money
between different networks of families and trusted associates. As
technology evolved, so too did terrorists, embracing services like
Western Union, Moneygram, and PayPal."
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