Eye on Extremism
October 23, 2019
The
Hill: Bipartisan Lawmakers Dig Into Twitter Over Policy Allowing
Hamas, Hezbollah Accounts
“A team of bipartisan lawmakers are digging into Twitter over its
policy of allowing Hamas and Hezbollah to maintain presences on the
powerful social media platform. In a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey
on Tuesday, the four House lawmakers offered a sharp rebuke of the
company’s decision to support accounts even for groups designated as
“foreign terrorist organizations” by the U.S. government, particularly
Hamas and Hezbollah.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Russia Agrees To Help Turkey Expand Buffer Zone
In Syria
“Russia agreed to help Turkey drive out Kurdish militias from a
“safe zone” in northeastern Syria, highlighting Moscow’s flourishing
ties with a NATO member and a rebalance of power in war-torn Syria as
U.S. troops leave. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he
would suspend military action for nearly six days against Kurds who
his government views as a terrorist threat to let them evacuate the
area. During this period, Russian and Syrian security forces would
push any remaining Kurdish fighters away from Turkey’s border.”
The
Brussels Times: Jewish Museum Terrorists Ordered To Pay Nearly €1
Million In Victim Compensation
“A Brussels court ruled in favour of relatives of the victims of
the 2014 terrorist attack on the Brussels Jewish Musem in 2014,
handing them a combined compensation nearing €1 million. On Tuesday,
the Brussels criminal court ordered Frenchmen Mehdi Nemmouche and
Nacer Bendrer, both jailed, to pay a total of €985,000, without taxes,
to the relatives of the four victims killed in the attacks. The
payments will be paid out separately, in amounts ranging from €50,000
to just over €100,000, according to the Belga news agency.”
The
New York Times: ‘What Is Going To Happen To Us?’ Inside ISIS Prison,
Children Ask Their Fate
“The prisoners cover the floor like a carpet of human despair. Many
are missing eyes or limbs, some are bone-thin from sickness, and most
wear orange jumpsuits similar to what the Islamic State, the terrorist
group they once belonged to, dressed its own captives in before it
killed them. Upstairs, jammed into two cells with little sunlight, are
more than 150 children — aged roughly 9 to 14 — from a range of
countries. Their parents brought them to Syria and ended up dead or
detained. The children have been here for months and have no idea
where their relatives are or what the future holds. “I have a
question,” said a boy from Suriname inside his cell. “What is going to
happen to us? Are the kids going to come out?” Rare visits to two
prisons for former residents of Islamic State-held territory in
northeastern Syria by The New York Times this week laid bare the
enormity of a growing legal and humanitarian crisis that the world has
largely chosen to ignore. As the Islamic State's self-declared
caliphate collapsed in Syria, tens of thousands of men, women and
children who had lived in it ended up in squalid camps and crowded
prisons run by the Kurdish-led militia that had partnered with the
United States to defeat the jihadists.”
The
Times Of Israel: Lebanon’s Hezbollah Under Rare Pressure As Street
Protesters Dig In
“When mass anti-government protests engulfed Lebanon, a taboo was
broken as strongholds of the Shiite Hezbollah group saw rare
demonstrations criticizing the party and revered leader Hassan
Nasrallah. On live TV and in protest sites, citizens accused Hezbollah
— a terrorist organization turned influential political party — of
providing cover for a corrupt government that they say has robbed
people of their livelihoods. This shattered the myth of absolute
acquiescence among Hezbollah’s popular base, baffling even those who
hail from the movement’s bastions. “No one ever expected that in any
of these areas in south Lebanon we would hear a single word against
Nasrallah,” or Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri, said Sara, a
32-year-old activist who participated in protests in the southern city
of Nabatiyeh. “It’s unbelievable,” the activist added, asking to use a
pseudonym due to security concerns. The popular Iran-backed movement
is a major political player that took 13 of 128 seats in the country’s
May 2018 parliamentary elections and secured three cabinet posts. It
helped its Christian ally Michel Aoun assume the presidency in 2016
and has since backed his government despite popular dissatisfaction
that peaked last week following protests over taxes, corruption and
dire economic conditions.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Syrian Conflict Traps Refugees In An Exodus To
Nowhere
“This tiny village in the northwestern corner of Syria became a
refuge six months ago as thousands of families fled shelling by the
government of President Bashar al-Assad and airstrikes by one of its
main allies, Russia. Now, as Turkey seeks Moscow’s help to seize a
strip of northeast Syria, the village has also become another square
on the Middle East geopolitical chessboard. Abdelkarim Mustafa, 41
years old, fled to the Killi area with his wife and their seven
children in the spring, escaping the bombs of Russian fighter jets and
seeking treatment after losing a leg in an airstrike.”
United States
ABC
News: Former Alt-Right Member On How Hate Groups Get People To Join:
'It Was Presented As Wholesome'
“During her mid-20s, Samantha spent about a year of her life
embroiled in a white supremacist hate group. "I never thought of
myself as a racist person, but I was," she said. Samantha, who asked
for her last name not to be used, was involved in the group "Identity
Evropa." "When you're in there, you think that you just know the
truth…[that] white people are more intellectually capable than other
people… White people were the best," Samantha said.”
Rolling
Stone: Proud Boys Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison For Attacking
Protesters
“Two members of the far-right organization the Proud Boys were
sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday for attacking four
counter-protesters at a 2017 New York City event. Last summer, Maxwell
Hare and John Kinsman were found guilty in New York State Supreme
Court of attempted gang assault, attempted assault, and riot. The two
were accused of attacking four anti-fascist counter-protesters at an
event at New York City’s Metropolitan Club, where Gavin McInnes, the
founder of the Proud Boys, was slated to speak.”
The
New York Times: Zuckerberg To Admit That Facebook Has Trust
Issues
“Mark Zuckerberg hopes that one day, in the not too distant future,
billions of people will use a cryptocurrency created by Facebook to
send money to friends and family around the world. Mr. Zuckerberg also
recognizes that his company is a major impediment to that vision. Mr.
Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, is expected to admit as
much on Wednesday when he testifies about his company’s cryptocurrency
project at a House Financial Services Committee hearing. “I believe
this is something that needs to get built, but I understand we’re not
the ideal messenger right now,” Mr. Zuckerberg will say, according to
written testimony submitted before the hearing. “I know some people
wonder whether we can be trusted to build payment services that
protect consumers.”
MSNBC:
With New Policy, Trump Appears To Hand ISIS ‘Its Biggest Win’ In
Years
“At yesterday’s White House cabinet meeting, Donald Trump seemed
eager, if not desperate, to characterize himself as the world’s
fiercest and most effective foe of the ISIS terrorist network. “I’m
the one – meaning it was me and this administration, working with
others, including the Kurds – that captured all of these people that
we’re talking about right now,” the president said. He added, “I’m the
one that did the capturing. I’m the one that knows more about it than
you people…. As you know, most of the ISIS fighters that we captured –
‘we.’ We. Not Obama. We. We captured them. Me.” To be sure, seeing a
grown man grovel for credit like this made for a pitiful display, but
that was not the only problem with Trump’s pitch. To the extent that
reality still has any meaning, Trump’s policy against ISIS largely
mirrors Obama’s policy against ISIS. The Daily Beast reported a couple
of years ago that White House officials made a deliberate effort to
help “brand” the Trump campaign against ISIS as different from its
predecessor, although there are no significant differences between
Trump’s strategy and Obama’s. Complicating matters, as the New York
Times reports today, Trump’s new policy in northern Syria has
effectively ended the offensive against ISIS, to the militants’
delight.”
Associated
Press: Man Accused Of Plan To Attack Milwaukee Temple Goes On
Trial
“A man accused of plotting a mass shooting in defense of Islam at a
Masonic temple in downtown Milwaukee will try to convince jurors at
his trial starting Wednesday that FBI informants encouraged him for
months to purchase weapons for the attack. Attorneys for 26-year-old
Samy Hamzeh plan to argue that the FBI entrapped their client, who
they say never owned a gun, has no criminal record, and was incapable
of mass murder. The FBI has said their agents thwarted an act of
terrorism when they arrested Hamzeh in January 2016. The Journal
Sentinel reports that Hamzeh, an American citizen who spent his
childhood in Jordan, was ultimately only charged with possessing two
machine guns and a silencer, all of which he bought from undercover
FBI agents who had informants set up the deal. The federal trial has
dragged on for four years because hundreds of hours of conversations
in Arabic had to be transcribed and translated to English. Hamzeh
spent two years in jail awaiting trial before a judge in July 2018
allowed him to live with his parents pending trial. His lawyers have
argued that the two years he spent in jail are already more than he
would likely get if convicted.”
Syria
NPR:
Russia And Turkey Reach Deal To Force Out Kurds In Northern
Syria
“After five hours of talks on Tuesday, the leaders of Russia and
Turkey agreed on how to jointly patrol parts of Syria that until
recently were controlled by Kurdish forces.”
Reuters:
U.S. Official: 'Dozens' Of Islamic State Fighters Freed In
Syria
“U.S. President Donald Trump’s special representative for Syria,
James Jeffrey, said on Tuesday that “dozens” of Islamic State fighters
had been freed since Turkey began its incursion in northeastern Syria.
“I would say dozens at this point,” Jeffrey told a congressional
hearing when Democratic Senator Chris Coons asked if he knew how many
“hardened” Islamic State (ISIS) fighters had been released. There have
been reports of much larger numbers.”
Voice
Of America: Syrian Chaos Breathing Life Into Islamic
State
“Turkey's incursion into northeastern Syria appears to be giving
Islamic State new life, but U.S. counterterrorism officials caution
the terror group's next moves are far from certain. The officials,
speaking on the condition of anonymity, warn Islamic State is
well-versed in using regional conflicts to its advantage, having done
so in Iraq in 2005-2006, and again in the aftermath of the Arab
Spring. And they note that IS has used the seven months since the fall
in March of its last territorial stronghold in Baghuz, Syria, to lay a
foundation of “dispersed networks” — comprising an estimated 10,000 to
15,000 fighters — for a prolonged and vicious insurgency. “It is not
clear at this time how ISIS may adjust their strategy in Syria in
light of the Turkish incursion,” a U.S. counterterrorism official told
VOA, using an acronym for the terror group. Smoke billows from
burning tires to decrease visibility for Turkish warplanes on the
outskirts of the town of Tal Tamr, Syria, along the border with Turkey
in the northeastern Hassakeh province. Until Turkey launched its
operation in Syria's northeast earlier this month, most of IS's
operations had targeted Kurdish security forces.”
Radio
Free Europe: Fourteen Kazakhs Returned From Syria On Trial On
Terrorism Charges
“Fourteen Kazakh citizens accused of fighting alongside the Islamic
state (IS) extremist group in Syria have gone on trial in Kazakhstan's
capital, Nur-Sultan. Thirteen of the suspects were brought into the
courtroom inside a pretrial detention center on October 22 amid
increased security measures. The other accused, who is suffering
injuries, attended the hearing via video link from a hospital. The
defendants are facing charges of involvement in terrorist activities,
recruitment, promoting terrorism, and committing “other serious
crimes.” They are among hundreds of Kazakh citizens who have been
repatriated from Syria this year in a special operation called Zhusan.
Last week, the National Security Committee (KNB) said a total of 595
Kazakh citizens, including more than 400 children, had been returned
as part of the operation. Among them, 10 men and five women have been
handed prison terms, it said. In summer 2018, the KNB said that about
800 Kazakh citizens had left their homeland to join IS militants in
Syria and Iraq since early 2014.”
New
York Post: Turkey, Russia Agree To Create ‘Terror-Free Safe Zone’ In
Syria
“Turkey and Russia agreed Tuesday to create a “terror-free safe
zone” in northern Syria and launch joint patrols in a deal reached
hours before a five-day cease-fire was about to expire, according to a
report citing a senior Turkish official. The announcement came after
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Russian
counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. “We had
a very productive meeting with our Russian counterparts today,” an
official said, Reuters reported. “We reached an excellent agreement.
We agreed to establish a terror-free safe zone.” Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that the two leaders agreed to have
Russian military police and Syrian border guards deploy on the Syrian
side of the Turkey border beginning Wednesday. Over the next six days,
they would remove the Kurdish fighters and their weapons from northern
Syria. After the Kurds are removed, Turkey and Russia, which has been
backing the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, would
launch joint patrols along a six-mile strip of the border. Turkey
would also continue to control a 20-mile-deep swath of northern Syria
that runs roughly 75 miles between the towns of Tal Abyad and Ras
al-Ain.”
The
National: Germany Proposes Security Zone In Northern Syria To Fight
ISIS
“An internationally managed security zone should be set up in
northern Syria to “resume” the fight against terrorism and support
displaced civilians, Germany’s defence minister said on Tuesday.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who said she had informed Chancellor
Angela Merkel of her ideas, argued the situation in Syria required
greater European action. Turkey earlier this month launched a military
operation in northern Syria after the withdrawal of US troops, vowing
to remove Kurdish forces it sees as terrorists from the Syrian border
region. But the European Union fears the move could empower ISIS. Many
of the terror group's members are detained in overcrowded local jails
in north-east Syria. “This security zone would seek to resume the
fight against terror and against [ISIS] which has currently come to a
standstill,” Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer told German broadcaster Deutsche
Welle. “It would also ensure that we stabilise the region so that
rebuilding civilian life is once again possible, and so that those who
have fled can also return voluntarily. “Europe cannot simply be an
onlooker. We also have to come up with our own recommendations and
initiate discussions.”
Oil
Price: ISIS Was Built On Oil
“ISIS has lost its caliphate. The infamous terrorist organization
that just a few years ago had even the most powerful world leaders
terrified as it snapped up more and more land in the Middle East has
now been pushed out of nearly all of it. Today, the Islamic State is
left with just a strip of land to call home, back where they started
in Syria. Just because ISIS has run out of land, however, doesn’t mean
that they have run out of power. What the Islamic State lacks in land
holdings is more than makes up for in cold hard cash. “Even as
U.S.-backed forces wrest back the Islamic State’s last strip of
territory in Syria,” reports the Atlantic, “the United States and its
allies are nowhere close to bringing down the terrorist organization’s
economic empire.” We’re not talking about pocket change here. The
shadowy organization continues to move millions of dollars a week.
“The group remains a financial powerhouse,” boldly proclaims the
Atlantic. “It still has access to hundreds of millions of dollars,
according to experts’ estimates, and can rely on a battle-tested
playbook to keep money flowing into its coffers.” It would take a lot
less than that for the organization to stay relevant, even in the
moneyed Middle East. In short, ISIS is not dead yet. Not even
close.”
Iran
The
Washington Free Beacon: Iran Cited By International Body For Failing
To Address Terror Financing
“Iran has again failed to implement international agreements to
crack down on money laundering and terror financing, according to the
Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, an inter-governmental body that
oversees economic reformation. Iran agreed in 2016 to work with FATF
to implement a series of economic improvements meant to eradicate
itself from its financial system's widespread instances of money
laundering and financing of terrorist groups. The Islamic Republic has
so far failed to implement key portions of the reformation plan,
prompting FATF to cite Tehran and threaten to reimpose measures meant
to isolate the Islamic Republic's economy starting in 2020. There are
few signs at this point that Tehran is willing to abide by the FATF
reformation plan, as it continues to send money and military hardware
to numerous terror factions. A significant portion of this funding is
being channeled through the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC), the paramilitary fighting force, which was recently
subjected to new U.S. sanctions. “In October 2019, the FATF noted that
there are still items not completed and Iran should fully address,”
the organization said in a statement.”
Iraq
The
New York Times: A Shiite Holiday Turns Into A Test Of Iranian Power In
Iraq
“The annual ceremony commemorating a founding figure of Shiite
Islam is one of the most important religious celebrations in the
Shiite world, drawing millions of pilgrims to the holy city of
Karbala, Iraq. This year, the Arbaeen ceremony was also a political
skirmish — the latest test of Iran’s power in Iraq and of Iraq’s
increasing desire for independence from its powerful neighbor. Iran,
the largest Shiite Muslim country in the world and a regional
powerhouse in the Middle East, saw the pilgrimage that ended Saturday
as an opportunity to assert its role in Iraq and send a message about
its regional reach.”
Associated
Press: Iraq: American Troops Leaving Syria Cannot Stay In
Iraq
“U.S. troops leaving Syria and heading to neighboring Iraq do not
have permission to stay in the country, Iraq’s military said Tuesday
as American forces continued to pull out of northern Syria after
Turkey’s invasion of the border region. The statement appears to
contradict U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who has said that under
the current plan, all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western
Iraq and the military would continue to conduct operations against the
Islamic State group to prevent its resurgence in the region. On
Tuesday, Esper said he plans to talk to Iraqi leaders to work out
details about the U.S. plan to send American troops withdrawing from
Syria to Iraq, adding that the U.S. has no plans to have those troops
stay in Iraq “interminably.”
Business
Insider: Trump Claimed The US Captured All ISIS Fighters, But They
Just Launched A Major Attack On An Iraqi Oil Field
“ISIS militants killed two members of the Iraqi security forces,
Reuters reported Monday, in the wake of a panicked US drawdown in
neighboring Syria which pushed US troops into Iraq. According to the
Iraqi military, three additional security personnel were wounded when
attempting to retrieve the bodies of the dead. “Elements of the
terrorist Daesh gangs attacked two security checkpoints in the Alas
oilfields area of Salahuddin province, and an improvised explosive
device blew up a vehicle belonging to security forces stationed there,
leading to the martyrdom of two of them,” a statement from the Iraqi
military said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. Iraqi security
forces and the mostly Shia, Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces
(PMF) are on the hunt for the attackers, Reuters reports. The attack
comes as experts and members of the military have grown concerned
about an ISIS comeback in Iraq and Syria; experts have warned about
ISIS members breaking out of makeshift prisons in northeastern Syria
guarded by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that are now facing
Turkish attacks, and the Pentagon issued a report in 2018 showing that
remaining ISIS members in both Iraq and Syria were not only still
active, but resurging and adapting because of the Trump
administration's actions in the region.”
Turkey
The
New York Times: Turkey Halts Syrian Incursion, Hours After Deal With
Russia
“The Turkish Army halted its incursion into a Kurdish-run area of
northern Syria on Wednesday morning, after a deal between the Turkish
and Russian governments promised that Kurdish fighters would retreat
from the Turkish-Syrian border. In a statement, the Turkish defense
ministry said it would not advance beyond an area of roughly 900
square miles that Turkish-led forces have seized from Kurdish control
since invading the area two weeks ago. “At this stage, there is no
further need to conduct a new operation outside the present operation
area,” the statement said.”
Bloomberg:
Trump’s Syria Envoy Says Turkey Move Hinders Islamic State
Fight
“Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Syrian conflict said the
administration made clear “at every level” that it opposed Turkey’s
invasion of northern Syria and that the resulting offensive has
undermined the fight against Islamic State. “Turkey launched this
operation despite our objections, undermining the D-ISIS campaign,
risking endangering and displacing civilians, destroying critical
civilian infrastructure, and threatening the security of the area,”
Ambassador James Jeffrey told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
on Tuesday, using an acronym for the coalition to defeat the Islamic
State. “Turkey’s military actions have precipitated a humanitarian
crisis and set conditions for possible war crimes.” Despite the
setback, Jeffrey said the U.S. will work with Turkey and “local
partners” to continue the fight against Islamic State. Lawmakers of
both parties have warned that Trump’s abrupt decision to begin
withdrawing about 1,000 U.S. troops gave Turkey a green light to
invade, which will prove disastrous for regional stability and deadly
for U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters that fought against Islamic State.
“Our president told President Erdogan that we were pulling out our
troops, we did so and they attacked within a matter of hours,” Senator
Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, told Jeffrey in the hearing.”
Fox
News: Sen. Graham, Gen. Keane: Turkey Paves Way For ISIS Comeback – US
Must Prevent Return Of Terrorist Group
“We very much appreciate the Trump administration’s efforts to
secure a cease-fire in northeast Syria. This gives all parties an
opportunity to reset and take stock of the path ahead. Vital American
interests are still at stake. Turkey’s incursion into Syria has
created strategic problems for us and our allies. Turkey, by attacking
Kurdish forces that led the effort to destroy ISIS, is paving the way
for an ISIS comeback. While President Trump is correct in saying the
ISIS caliphate has been destroyed, there remain thousands of ISIS
fighters still in Syria. ISIS will regenerate and again seek to
establish a caliphate or at least a base of operations in its
spiritual home of Raqqa, Syria without continuing efforts by the
United States, our Kurdish partners, and the international community.
Our focus must remain squarely on ensuring ISIS does not come back as
a threat to the United States and the world at large. The U.S. must
also make sure that Iran does not fill in the vacuum created by
Turkey’s invasion, creating additional threats to our ally Israel.
Northeastern Syrian oil fields, where we presently have troops, can be
a beneficial asset for us and our allies.”
Afghanistan
ABC
News: Taliban Say New Intra-Afghan Peace Talks To Be Held In
China
“A fresh round of intra-Afghan peace talks will be held in China
next week, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said Tuesday, raising
hopes for renewed negotiations, even as violence surges in
Afghanistan's 18-year war. The talks planned for Oct. 28 and 29 will
be the first meeting between Taliban and prominent Afghans from Kabul
since a July round of talks held in Doha, the capital of the Middle
Eastern State of Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office.
On Monday, the U.S. State Department said its peace envoy, Zalmay
Khalilzad, started a fresh round of talks with European, NATO and U.N.
allies about ending the war. Khalilzad will later meet with Russian
and Chinese representatives “to discuss shared interests in seeing the
war in Afghanistan come to an end,” the State Department said. For
nearly a year, Khalilzad led the first direct U.S. talks with the
Taliban. However, in September, just as a deal seemed imminent,
President Donald Trump declared the deal dead after a series of
attacks in the Afghan capital killed more than a dozen people,
including a U.S. soldier. Trump continued to call for the withdrawal
of the estimated 14,000 American soldiers still in Afghanistan, saying
they had taken over the job of policing the country, a job the
government's security forces should be doing.”
Xinhua:
8 Militants Killed In Northern Afghan Province
“At least eight militants have been confirmed dead as a clash
erupted in Balkh district of the northern Balkh province on Tuesday,
army spokesman in the northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai said
Wednesday. The fighting, according to the official, flared up after
the armed militants attacked security checkpoints in Palaspush area of
the relatively restive province on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a gun
battle, which lasted for a while, and the militants fled away after
leaving eight bodies and two injured behind. Without providing more
details, the official said the security forces would continue to
pursue militants elsewhere in the country. Taliban militants who are
active in parts of Balkh province with Mazar-e-Sharif as its capital
305 km north of Kabul have yet to make comments on the situation
there.”
Pakistan
India
Today: Will Continue To Pressurise Pakistan To Act Against Lashkar,
Jaish And Hizbul, Says US
“The US has said that it supports Pakistan Prime Minister Imran
Khan's statement that terrorists in Pakistan who carry out violence in
Kashmir are enemies of both Kashmiris and Pakistanis. The United
States also said that it will continue to put pressure on Pakistan to
take action against terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba,
Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen that have been using its soil
to harbor terrorism. In a statement, acting Assistant Secretary of
State for South and Central Asia Alice G Wells, said, "We continue to
press Pakistan to take action against terrorist groups, including LeT,
JeM, and Hizbul-Mujahideen. We welcomed PM Imran Khan's recent
statement that Pakistani terrorists who carry out violence in Kashmir
are enemies of both Kashmiris and Pakistan."
Asia
Times: Pakistan Dodges Terror Black List For Now
“The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which met recently in
Paris, has decided to keep Pakistan on its ‘grey list’ until February
2020. The FATF monitors countries suspected of aiding terror attacks
and imposes major financial constraints on them when they are found in
violation of international laws. Pakistan was put on the FATF ‘grey
list’ in June last year, which is one step short of the agency’s
‘black list’. Once on the black list, a country faces severe economic
sanctions. For a country like Pakistan, already struggling with a
major economic crisis, being on the black list would cripple its
economy. The terror financing watchdog monitored the progress of 15
countries on its watch-list, including Pakistan, which was effectively
given a final warning by the FATF to comply with its agreed proposal
or risk being blacklisted in four months’ time. Even though Pakistan
avoided being relegated to the black list during the five-day summit
last week, FATF President Xiangmin Liu was categorical in demanding
that Islamabad must ‘do more’. “Despite a high-level commitment…
Pakistan has not made enough progress. If by February 2020 the country
has not made significant progress, we will consider further actions
which potentially could include placing the country… on the
blacklist,” Liu said.”
Lebanon
Arab
News: Hezbollah Under Pressure To Allow Change
“The crisis in Lebanon is age-old and its people have been fed up
for a long time now. Courage comes with a price: Tens, even hundreds,
of people who dared demand change paid the price with their blood.
However, this round of protests all over the country is different and
no longer includes political sanctities, including Hassan Nasrallah
and the other governmental leaderships. The protests have also been
characterized by the uprising of regions that are traditionally under
the control of Hezbollah. They clearly defied Hezbollah and rejected
its authority, which has forced Nasrallah to appear on television,
threatening everyone including government ministers, warning that
those who respond to the protesters’ demands to resign will be held
accountable.”
Middle East
The
Times Of Israel: Israel Said Bracing For Direct Cruise Missile Or
Drone Attack By Iran
“Israel is readying for a direct cruise missile or drone strike by
Tehran in response to recent attacks on Iranian regional proxies which
have been attributed to the Jewish state, Army Radio reported Tuesday
evening. Unlike ballistic missiles, which usually fly through a high
arc on the way to the target, cruise missiles and drones fly at low
altitude, making them harder to detect. The report cited anonymous
“Israeli sources,” who said the IDF was already on high alert for the
possibility and that the security cabinet will convene for an
“unplanned” meeting next Tuesday against a backdrop of tensions with
the Islamic Republic.”
Nigeria
Sahara
Reporters: Two Boko Haram Commanders, 14 Others Captured By Nigerian
Army
“The Nigerian Army has said that it has arrested 16 Boko Haram
terrorists including two top commanders of the sect during a sting
operation. Nigerian Army Operations Media Coordinator, Col. Aminu
Iliyasu, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja said that the terrorists
were arrested at Pulka in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
Iliyasu disclosed that the arrest was made in collaboration with the
Civilian Joint Task Force. He said preliminary investigation revealed
that some of the suspects participated in the attack on Pulka and
Gwoza including the killing of some police personnel some time ago. He
said the two Boko Haram commanders arrested are Lawan Garliga and
Bayaga Manye, serial 41 and 90 respectively. Iliyasu said, “Others are
Boko Haram logistics supplier which are Umaru, Goni Agwala, Momodu
Shetene, Hassan Audu, Usman Manye aka Yega, Ali Lawan and Modu Mallum.
“They also include Modu Abubakar Jugudum, Bulama Ali, Umar Usman,
Mustapha Alhaji Mele (Boko Haram rifle man and vulcaniser), Abor
Lassan, Mallum Ari and Mala Bala.”
Xinhua:
Nigerian Air Force Kills Boko Haram Militants Near Lake Chad:
Spokesman
“Nigeria's air force has killed several Boko Haram militants
regrouping at Bukar Meram, a town in Nigeria's northeastern state of
Borno bordering Lake Chad, a spokesman said on Tuesday. In a statement
made available to Xinhua in Abuja, Ibikunle Daramola, the spokesman
for the air force, confirmed the operation was conducted on Monday but
did not give the exact figure of Boko Haram fighters killed. It was
carried out based on credible intelligence reports that indicated a
resumption of the use of the location to provide logistics support to
the terrorists, using fishing activities as a cover, Daramola said.
The air force then dispatched its attack aircraft to engage designated
areas within the settlement, the military spokesman said. According to
him, before the airstrikes, over 35 Boko Haram militants were observed
within the area of interest. The attack aircraft subsequently engaged
the location in successive passes recording accurate hits on the
target area. This also led to the destruction of some of the
structures in the target area, Daramola said. The Nigerian air force,
operating in concert with surface forces, would sustain its operations
against the terrorists in the northeast region, he added.”
Africa
The
Washington Post: Extremist Attacks Intensify At Mali, Burkina Faso
Border
“Assaya Ngweba says Islamic extremists transformed his
once-peaceful village in Burkina Faso, near the border with Mali, into
“a place of misfortune and death.” Now the 78-year-old is among half a
million people who have fled the area this year as the extremists
linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group increase attacks and
expand their range in West Africa. Concerted military actions by five
regional countries, along with a French operation, have failed to stem
the violence. The border between Burkina Faso and Mali is the latest
flashpoint in the vast, arid Sahel region that stretches across Africa
south of the Sahara Desert. In the past week at least 19 civilians
have been killed by suspected extremists in Burkina Faso’s north. The
extremists have launched deadly assaults against the regional G5 Sahel
counterterror force set up in 2017 with soldiers from Burkina Faso,
Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The worst occurred earlier this
month when al-Qaida-linked fighters attacked two army bases in central
Mali, killing at least 38 soldiers and leaving more than a dozen
missing. The attack in Boulikessi “was devastating for the military in
terms of morale and strategic impact because it laid bare the
jihadists’ strength in that crucial border region which is a bridge to
Islamist expansion further south,” said Human Rights Watch’s West
Africa associate director, Corinne Dufka.”
Yahoo
News: Sudan Upbeat On Prospects For Removal From U.S. Terrorism
List
“Sudan's top financial official said on Tuesday he believed it was
“just a question of time” before his country was removed from the U.S.
state-sponsored terrorism list. Finance Minister Ibrahim Elbadawi told
an event hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank that the listing
posed a “crippling impediment” to the transitional government's
ability to access funds from the International Monetary Fund or the
World Bank. But he said the government was working to address security
concerns, while taking steps to boost internal revenues by closing tax
loopholes and unwinding a big shadow economy. Shortages of bread, fuel
and medicine coupled with hefty price rises sparked protests that led
to the toppling of Sudan's longtime ruler, Omar al-Bashir, in April,
sending the economy into turmoil. The new government took office six
weeks ago. Elbadawi told Reuters after the event he was “absolutely”
encouraged by his discussions with U.S. officials and lawmakers about
getting Sudan removed from the terrorism list. “I could feel that
things are moving,” he said. “I could not give a specific date, but
I'm quite confident that it's just a question of time.”
Xinhua:
Morocco, U.S. Agree To Bolster Cooperation On Fighting
Terrorism
“Morocco and the United States announced on Tuesday that they
agreed to “sustain cooperation to defeat terrorist groups.” In a joint
statement issued following the 4th U.S.-Morocco Strategic Dialogue
held Tuesday in Washington, the two sides said they discussed the
joint efforts to combat terrorism in Africa, and in particular to
secure the enduring defeat of IS (Islamic State), by enhancing the
capacity of security services in the region, including through a joint
platform for security cooperation.” Morocco is a “stable security
exporting partner,” and credible provider of security at the regional
level, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who co-chaired the
dialogue with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, was quoted as
saying. Pompeo lauded Morocco for its “ongoing leadership of the
Global Counterterrorism Forum and for its sustaining role in the
Global Coalition to Defeat IS,” the statement said. Pompeo and Bourita
also discussed the “danger posed by Iran and its proxies and discussed
cooperative efforts to combat attempts to spread Iranian influence in
the region including in North West Africa,” it said.”
United Kingdom
New
York Post: ‘ISIS Bride’ Shamima Begum Challenges British Government
For Stripping Her Citizenship
“ISIS bride” Shamima Begum has launched a legal challenge to the
British government’s decision to strip her of her citizenship and
prevent her from returning to London, according to reports. Begum, 20,
who was born in the UK, was one of three schoolgirls from Bethnal
Green Academby who left the UK to travel to Syria in February 2015 to
join the terror group. Four years later, she was discovered by
journalists in the al-Hawl refugee camp guarded by Kurdish militia in
Syria following the collapse of the ISIS caliphate. On Feb. 19,
then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid revoked her citizenship because it was
claimed she still posed a risk to the public. The decision would only
be lawful if it did not leave Begum stateless, according to Sky News.
Her lawyers told a hearing before the Special Immigration Appeals
Commission on Tuesday that she had been left stateless, was unable to
mount a “fair and effective” legal challenge and was at risk of
“death, inhuman or degrading treatment,” according to The
Guardian.”
Yahoo
News: Terrorists Could Face Tougher Jail Sentences By Next Year Under
New Guidelines Given To Judges
“Terrorists could face tougher jail sentences under new guidelines
for judges. The Sentencing Council is carrying out a review of
guidance provided to judges and magistrates in England and Wales to
decide how offenders are punished. The proposals came as it was
revealed that UK investigators have disrupted 24 terrorist plots since
April 2017. The updated figure was revealed by Metropolitan Police
commissioner Cressida Dick, and includes 16 Islamist plots and eight
inspired by extreme right-wing views. The proposals have been made in
a public consultation launched on Tuesday in light of “significant
legislative changes” brought in under the new Counter Terrorism and
Border Security Act 2019, which increased the maximum sentences for
some crimes, the council said. It follows legislation introduced
earlier this year that meant UK citizens who visited foreign terror
hotspots could face 10 years in prison. The revision includes
“increased sentencing levels” for some crimes to reflect the new law.
This means higher starting points for the time to be spent behind bars
could be set for judges and magistrates while they calculate the
overall sentence.”
Southeast Asia
Reuters:
India Government, Facebook Spar Over Decryption Laws At Top
Court
“India’s government asked Facebook Inc on Tuesday to help it
decrypt private messages on its network, citing national security
requirements in a court hearing on privacy rights on social media
platforms. India’s Attorney General K.K. Venugopal told the Supreme
Court that it was the responsibility of social media companies to
share data wherever there was a threat to national security. “A
terrorist cannot claim privacy,” Venugopal said. “For Facebook and
WhatsApp to say they cannot decrypt is not acceptable.” Facebook-owned
WhatsApp, which has about 400 million users in India, allows groups of
hundreds of users to exchange texts, photos and videos using
end-to-end encryption, beyond the oversight of independent fact
checkers or even the platform itself.”
New
York Post: Iranian Beauty Queen Pleads For Asylum In Philippines:
‘They Will Kill Me’
“An Iranian beauty queen is pleading for asylum in the Philippines
as she fights extradition to her native country — fearing she’ll be
executed if she gets sent back. Bahareh Zare Bahari, who competed in
the 2018 Miss Intercontinental pageant in Manila, has been trapped at
the Ninoy Aquino airport in the Philippines since Oct. 18 when Iran
issued an Interpol red alert for her on assault and battery
charges.”
The
Strait Times: Three Radicalised Maids Charged In Court With Financing
Terrorism
“Three Indonesian maids were charged in court on Wednesday (Oct 23)
with financing terrorism, after being detained under the Internal
Security Act last month. They are Anindia Afiyantari, 33, Retno
Hernayani, 36, and Turmini, 31. All three were investigated by the
Internal Security Department and issued with detention orders for
supporting two terrorist groups - the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
and its Indonesia-based affiliate, Jemaah Anshorut Daulah. Parallel
investigations by the Singapore Police Force's Commercial Affairs
Department found that between September last year and July this year,
all three had collected or provided money to individuals in Indonesia
on several occasions.”
Al
Jazeera: Delay In Return 'Boosting ISIL Recruitment' In Philippines
Marawi
“On October 23, 2017, the Philippine army declared the end of the
bloody five-month-long siege in the southern city of Marawi,
punctuating the battle with the killing of 42 suspected armed fighters
affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or
ISIS). The country's most sustained active combat since World War II
killed at least 925 fighters from the ISIL-linked Maute and Abu Sayyaf
groups, 165 government troops and a conservative estimate of 45
civilians. It also flattened a bustling city, forced hundreds of
thousands to evacuate and left the entire island of Mindanao under
martial law. But two years after President Rodrigo Duterte declared
the city “liberated from the terrorist influence”, opposition
politicians and Marawi residents say the promised rehabilitation has
failed, and Mindanao experts are warning that these delays are
providing “fertile ground” for ongoing recruitment by “extremists”, as
they try to show that the ISIL ideology is well and alive in the
Philippines. Vice President Leni Robredo, the opposition leader, said
“very little has been achieved” since the day the government promised
to restore the city to its former glory.”
Technology
The
Jerusalem Post: Lawmakers To Twitter: Ban Hezbollah And Hamas-Related
Accounts
“A bipartisan group of Congressmen sent a letter on Tuesday to
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, demanding the social media platform will ban
Hezbollah and Hamas affiliated accounts from using the platform. Reps.
Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Tom Reed (NY-23), Max Rose (NY-11), and Brian
Fitzpatrick (PA-1), said that Twitter is “blatantly violating US law,”
and demanded that Twitter remove these accounts by November 1. The
group first reached out to Twitter last month. Carlos Monje, Twitter’s
US director of public policy and philanthropy, wrote in response that
“Twitter’s purpose is to serve the public conversation.” “All
individuals accessing or using Twitter’s services must adhere to the
policies set forth in the Twitter rules,” Monje said in his response.
“There is no place on Twitter for terrorist organizations, violent
extremist groups or individuals who affiliate with and promote their
illicit activities.” Monje explained that Twitter distinguishes
between the political and military factions of these organizations.
“We may make limited exceptions for groups that have reformed or are
currently engaging in peaceful resolution processes, as well as groups
with representatives who have been elected to public office through
elections, as is the case with parts of Hamas and Hezbollah,” Monje
said.”
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