November 1, 2019

The New York Times: ISIS Names New Leader And Confirms Al-Baghdadi’s Death <[link removed]>

“Days after the Islamic State’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and his heir apparent were killed in back-to-back attacks by United States forces in northern Syria, the group broke its silence on Thursday to confirm their deaths, announce a new leader and warn America: “Do not be happy.” In an audio recording uploaded on the Telegram app, the Islamic State mourned the loss of Mr. al-Baghdadi, who led the organization for nearly a decade, and its spokesman, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, who was killed a day after Mr. al-Baghdadi and who had widely been considered a potential successor. The audio recording was the first word from the Islamic State confirming the death of its leader, which President Trump triumphantly announced on Sunday as a huge blow to the world’s most fearsome terrorist group. Mr. Trump and Pentagon officials said Mr. al-Baghdadi had blown himself up with a suicide vest, also killing two children, after he had been cornered on Saturday in a dead-end tunnel during an American military raid in a northern Syrian village. Mr. al-Muhajir was killed on Sunday in an airstrike elsewhere in northern Syria.”

Voice Of America: More Than 2,000 Cases Tied To Foreign Terrorist Organizations Under FBI Scrutiny <[link removed]>

“The FBI says it is investigating more than 2,000 cases tied to groups designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations, a figure that reflects the persistent threat posed by outfits such as al-Qaida and Hezbollah. There are currently 68 individual groups on the U.S. State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations, the vast majority jihadi outfits such as al-Qaida. The designation allows the U.S. to freeze the groups' and their members' assets and investigate their activities.   The FBI's renewed focus on foreign terrorist organizations and their members partly reflects the quiet resurgence in recent years of al-Qaida, said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. "While the primary focus was ISIS the last few years, al-Qaida used that time to bide their time and build up a network," Hughes said. "And so, these cases are still out there, and they're going to have to look at them. It's not just ISIS — there are al-Qaida, its affiliates, and then you have groups like Hezbollah." Out of about 5,000 terrorism cases under investigation, approximately 850 are focused on domestic terrorism such as far-right violence, while the rest have a nexus to international terrorism, the FBI said in response to a query from Voice of America.”

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Troop Withdrawal Creates Opening For Revitalized Syrian Regime <[link removed]>

“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad clawed back control over much of his country with the help of Russia and Iran. Now he is poised to take back much of the rest—in large part because of the U.S. The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw most U.S. troops from northeastern Syria reordered the security landscape in the country, opening the door for Mr. Assad to reclaim areas he hasn’t held in years. The Syrian leader will still face numerous challenges. The U.S. is keeping some troops behind to guard oil fields, Turkish forces are pushing into northern Syria and Kurds governing swaths of eastern Syria want to hold on to at least some autonomy. Kurdish forces have turned to Mr. Assad for protection against the Turkish offensive bent on driving them away from its border, allowing the Syrian military to return and begin re-establishing the central Damascus government’s control.”

Reuters: Exclusive: Iran Intervenes To Prevent Ousting Of Iraqi Prime Minister – Sources <[link removed]>

“Iran has stepped in to prevent the ouster of Iraqi Prime Minister Abdel Abdul Mahdi by two of Iraq’s most influential figures amid weeks of anti-government demonstrations, sources close to both men told Reuters. Populist Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demanded this week that Abdul Mahdi call an early election to quell the biggest mass protests in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. The demonstrations are fueled by anger at corruption and widespread economic hardship. Sadr had urged his main political rival Hadi al-Amiri, whose alliance of Iran-backed militias is the second-biggest political force in parliament, to help push out Abdul Mahdi. But in a secret meeting in Baghdad on Wednesday, Qassem Soleimani, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force, intervened. Soleimani asked Amiri and his militia leaders to keep supporting Abdul Mahdi, according to five sources with knowledge of the meeting. Spokesmen for Amiri and Sadr could not be reached for comment. An Iranian security official confirmed Soleimani was at Wednesday’s meeting, saying he was there to “give advice”.

Bloomberg: Al-Baghdadi’s Death Won’t Staunch Terrorist Expansion In Africa <[link removed]>

“Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi is dead, but the militant’s followers are still regrouping and spreading their ideology across remote patches of Africa. In the Sahel region, the arid band on the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert that stretches through some of Africa’s poorest and least-governed countries, Islamic State followers are launching attacks against government forces. U.S. officials point to the Sahel as one of the biggest concerns in their counterterrorism campaign. “Terrorist threats in the Sahel are very real -- as seen in the sharp increase in the number of attacks in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso,” Nathan Sales, the State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, said in response to e-mailed questions. “The security of countries across the region is closely linked, and terrorists aspire to create territorial safe havens from which to plan attacks.” The threat from Islamic State persists even as President Donald Trump boasts of the defeat of the terrorist group’s “caliphate,” which once stretched across a swath of Syria and Iraq. Pentagon officials said Wednesday that the organization will remain a threat wherever local forces are unable to control it. “We don’t see a bloodless future,” General Kenneth McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters.”

The Guardian: Ignore Zuckerberg’s Self-Serving Rubbish. Facebook Must Be Regulated <[link removed]>

“Let us be grateful for small mercies. Thank you Twitter for banning political advertising. Given that such advertising is by its nature biased, tendentious and hard to check, Twitter is behaving as a good publisher should. Politicians may make full use of its outlet. That is democracy. But as the organisation’s chief, Jack Dorsey, points out, with social media awash in “micro-targeting, deepfakes, manipulated videos and misinformation”, those who control it should keep it as clean as possible. Money may not buy truth, but it should not drown fairness. Facebook disagrees. Its boss, Mark Zuckerberg, declares it “not right for private companies to censor politicians or the news”. He subscribes to the romantic view of social media as the yellow brick road of digital’s global village.”

United States

The Wall Street Journal: Legislation Would Force Google And Rivals To Disclose Search Algorithms <[link removed]>

“Senate lawmakers proposed bipartisan legislation that would require search engines to disclose the algorithms they use in ranking internet searches and give consumers an option for unfiltered searches. Search engines such as Alphabet Inc. ’s Google unit use a variety of measures to filter results for individual searches, such as the user’s browsing activity, search history and geographical location. Critics have increasingly complained about algorithms enabling online-search and social-media companies to determine the content users see, with some on the right claiming the result is a form of censorship because certain views may be excluded. The big internet firms generally have denied such claims and contend that using profile information gives users better-tailored results. The proposed Filter Bubble Transparency Act would require big online search engines and platforms to disclose that they are using algorithms to sort the information that users are requesting or are being encouraged to view.”

Reuters: Cracks Found On 38 Of 810 Boeing 737 NG Jets Inspected Globally <[link removed]>

“Boeing Co (BA.N) said on Thursday that airlines had inspected 810 of the company’s 737 NG jets around the world and found 38 structural cracks requiring repair and replacement of the affected parts. The planes will be grounded until the repairs are made, Boeing and airline officials said. Nearly 5% of inspections have found cracks in a “pickle fork” - a part that attaches the plane’s fuselage, or body, to the wing structure and manages forces. The 737 NG is the third-generation 737 and version before the now-grounded 737 MAX, which is not impacted by the cracking issue. On Wednesday, Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N) and Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas (GOLL4.SA) grounded at least 13 737 NG airplanes after U.S. regulators ordered urgent inspections. Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air said on Friday that it had grounded two planes.”

Voice Of America: More Than 2,000 Cases Tied To Foreign Terrorist Organizations Under FBI Scrutiny <[link removed]>

“The FBI says it is investigating more than 2,000 cases tied to groups designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations, a figure that reflects the persistent threat posed by outfits such as al-Qaida and Hezbollah. There are currently 68 individual groups on the U.S. State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations, the vast majority jihadi outfits such as al-Qaida. The designation allows the U.S. to freeze the groups' and their members' assets and investigate their activities. The FBI's renewed focus on foreign terrorist organizations and their members partly reflects the quiet resurgence in recent years of al-Qaida, said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. "While the primary focus was ISIS the last few years, al-Qaida used that time to bide their time and build up a network," Hughes said. "And so, these cases are still out there, and they're going to have to look at them. It's not just ISIS — there are al-Qaida, its affiliates, and then you have groups like Hezbollah." Out of about 5,000 terrorism cases under investigation, approximately 850 are focused on domestic terrorism such as far-right violence, while the rest have a nexus to international terrorism, the FBI said in response to a query from Voice of America.”  

Associated Press: Man Is Returned To Seattle To Face Charges In 2014 ‘Jihad’ <[link removed]>

“A man who has admitted killing four people in what he described as “jihad” has been returned to Seattle to face charges in three of the deaths, after being sentenced to life in prison for a New Jersey killing. The Seattle Times reports that 34-year-old Ali Muhammad Brown was booked into the King County Jail on Wednesday. Prosecutors say Brown shot and killed three men in the Seattle area in 2014 before taking a bus to New Jersey, where he randomly shot and killed a college student at a traffic light in West Orange. As part of his New Jersey guilty plea, Brown acknowledged responsibility for the Seattle killings. King County investigators say Brown expressed anger about civilian deaths during U.S. military action in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

ABC News: Trump Invites 'Hero' Dog From Al-Baghdadi Raid To White House, Declassifies Name As 'Conan' <[link removed]>

“President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted that a dog used by United States special operations forces in a raid that led to the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria would leave the Middle East to come to the White House next week -- and then he declassified the dog's name. After sharing a fake image from the conservative news website The Daily Wire that showed Trump putting a medal with a paw print around the dog's neck, the president tweeted that the "recreation" was "Very cute" but that the "'live' version of Conan will be leaving the Middle East for the White House sometime next week!" It was the first time any U.S. official had confirmed the name of the dog -- a Belgian Malinois named Conan -- something military officials had declined to do in recent days, citing security reasons. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing Monday that the dog was "slightly wounded and fully recovering." Milley said that because the dog was returned to duty as part of a classified military unit, he would not be disclosing its identity.”

Syria

Associated Press: Joint Turkish And Russian Patrols Begin In Syrian Region <[link removed]>

“Turkey and Russia launched joint patrols Friday in northeastern Syria, under a deal that halted a Turkish offensive against Syrian Kurdish fighters who were forced to withdraw from the border area following Ankara’s incursion. The patrols will cover two sections, in the west and east of Turkey’s operation zone in Syria, with a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles). Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition fighters now control the border towns of Tal Abyad, Ras al-Ayn and nearby villages. The deal on the patrols excludes the city of Qamishli, according to the ministry’s statement on Tuesday. Turkey’s defense ministry tweeted on Friday that the patrols started in al-Darbasiyah region, with Turkish and Russian troops, armored vehicles and drones.”

Reuters: Syria's Assad Says Kurdish Controlled Northeast Syria Must Return To State Authority <[link removed]>

“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday that his government’s ultimate goal was to restore state authority over Kurdish controlled areas in northeast Syria after an abrupt U.S. troop withdrawal but he expected it to happen gradually. In a state television interview Assad also said that a deal between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin to drive out the Kurdish-led YPG militia from a 30 km (19 mile) “safe zone” along the border was a “positive” step that would help Damascus achieve its goal. “It might not achieve everything ... it paves the road to liberate this area in the near future we hope,” said Assad, who has remained in power in Damascus through a more than eight-year-long civil war with the backing of Russia and Iran.”

Reuters: Islamic State Vows Revenge Against U.S. For Baghdadi Killing <[link removed]>

“Islamic State confirmed on Thursday that its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a weekend raid by U.S. special forces in northwestern Syria, and vowed revenge against the United States. The Iraqi rose from obscurity to lead the ultra-hardline group and declare himself “caliph” of all Muslims, holding sway over huge areas of Iraq and Syria from 2014-2017 before Islamic State’s control disintegrated under U.S.-led attacks. The group confirmed his death in an audio tape posted online and said a successor, identified as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, had been appointed. Aymenn al-Tamimi, a researcher at Swansea University focusing on Islamic State, said the name was unknown but could refer to a leading figure in Islamic State called Hajj Abdullah, whom the U.S. State Department had identified as a possible successor. A former senior figure in the rival Islamist group al Qaeda in Iraq, he is also known as Mohamed Said Abdelrahman al-Mawla. Analysts have also named the Saudi Abu Abdullah al-Jizrawi and Abdullah Qaradash, an Iraqi and one of Baghdadi’s right-hand men, as potential successors along with the Tunisian Abu Othman al-Tunisi.”

USA Today: Troops, Armored Vehicles Enter Syria To Protect Oil Fields From ISIS <[link removed]>

“U.S. troops and armored vehicles entered Syria Thursday on a mission to protect oil fields from falling into the hands of Islamic State terrorists, according to a U.S. official. Dozens of soldiers and fewer than 10 Bradley armored vehicles moved into the northeastern part of Syria, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly. It's not clear how many troops or vehicles ultimately will be deployed, the official said. The deployment comes less than a week after President Trump ordered the raid that killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. U.S. commandos used a base in Syria to mount the attack by helicopter. On Thursday, the spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS tweeted photos of troops loading Bradley vehicles aboard aircraft for the mission in Syria. It is the first time in the five-year war on ISIS that American armor has been used to fight the extremists. The U.S.-led coalition has relied mainly on airstrikes to support local forces on the ground. The region in northeastern Syria is home to oil wealth that Pentagon officials and Trump have vowed to keep from falling into the hands of ISIS. The movement of troops and armor is the latest in Trump's whip-sawing strategy for Syria.”

Voice Of America: Supporters Begin To Flock To New Islamic State Leader <[link removed]>

“Some Islamic State supporters are starting to rally around the terror group’s new leader, using social media to pledge their allegiance to a man whose true identity may not be known for some time. IS announced the selection of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as its new leader Thursday in an audio message issued by its Amaq news agency and read by the group’s new spokesman. “He is a flag of the flags of jihad, and a scholar of its scholars, and an emir of the emirs of war,” the voice said, according to a translation by SITE Intelligence, which monitors jihadist communications. Qurashi “has attacked the protector of the Cross America, and made it taste bad,” the voice added. The announcement, which also confirmed the deaths of IS’s self-declared caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and his spokesman, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, caused what some analysts described as a ripple of excitement on social media and online messaging boards frequented by IS supporters. “We give bay’ah [allegiance] to Amir al-Muminin, the Khalifah of the Muslims, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, pledging to listen and obey,” read one message being posted by IS-affiliated channels.”

Iran

The Times Of Israel: US Envoy: Iran Has Spent $16 Billion On Militias In Iraq, Syria <[link removed]>

“The US envoy for Iran said Thursday that Tehran has funded militia groups in Syria and Iraq to the tune of $16 billion. US State Department Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, who made the comments in an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya, did not specify over what time period the money was sent. Iran has longstanding ties to a number of armed Shiite groups in Iraq and was a key backer of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a paramilitary group that fought against the Islamic State jihadist organization. In Syria, Iran supports militias fighting on behalf of its ally Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country’s civil war.”

Reuters: U.S. Imposes New Iran Sanctions, But Waives Others <[link removed]>

“The United States said on Thursday it had imposed sanctions on the Iranian construction sector and trade in four materials used in its military or nuclear programs, even as it waived sanctions to let foreign firms continue non-proliferation work in Iran. The decisions announced by the U.S. State Department reflect an effort to increase pressure on Iran by putting wider swaths of its economy under sanctions, while leaving a door open to diplomacy by allowing work to proceed at Iranian nuclear facilities that makes it harder for Iran to develop a nuclear bomb. President Donald Trump’s administration last year pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal in which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions that crippled its economy. The administration has since restored and tightened U.S. sanctions to try to force Iran to negotiate a broader deal that would also limit its ballistic missile program and regional activities.”

Haaretz: Iranian Generals In Iraq, Hezbollah Thugs In Lebanon: Tehran Demonstrates How To Snuff Out Dissent <[link removed]>

“A month ago, a little after the mass protests began in Iraq against the government, Iranian general Qasem Soleimani arrived on a night flight at the Baghdad airport. Soleimani continued on in a helicopter from the airport to the heart of the Green Zone in Baghdad, the area where the Iraqi government ministries and defense establishment are located – alongside the American Embassy, according to a report from The Associated Press. Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, surprised a group of senior officials in the Iraqi security forces when he showed up to run a meeting supposed to be led by Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.”

The New York Times: Iran’s Leaders See Threats In Iraq And Lebanon Protests <[link removed]>

“Iran’s hierarchy often rails against the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia as direct threats to its security and regional influence. But lately the authorities in Tehran have turned their attention to two new sources of worry: Lebanon and Iraq. Enormous antigovernment demonstrations in both countries, some tinged with hostility and resentment toward Iran, have suddenly put Iran’s interests at risk. They have also raised the possibility of inspiring protests inside Iran itself. If the Lebanese and Iraqi protesters succeed in toppling their governments and weakening established political parties with deep ties to Iran’s leaders, Iran stands to lose decades of financial, political and military investments that have turned it into one of the Middle East’s biggest powers. On Wednesday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is revered by some Lebanese and Iraqi Shiites as a spiritual leader, inveighed against the protests — a signal of the danger he sees lurking in them. Iran also closed several border crossings with Iraq to both travelers and trade, Iranian state media reported. “The U.S. and Western intelligence agencies, with the help of money from regional countries, are instigating unrest in the region,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a speech.”

The National: Iran And Hezbollah Financers Listed By Gulf Anti-Terrorism Coalition <[link removed]>

“The seven-member Terrorist Financing Targeting Centre in Riyadh on Wednesday designated 25 targets affiliated with Iran and Hezbollah, in the largest single designation to date. The body, which brings together the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the US, listed targets affiliated with “the Iranian regime’s terror-support networks in the region". The entities sanctioned on Wednesday support Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Tehran’s regional proxy Hezbollah. The commission said that several of the businesses targeted provided financial support to the Basij Resistance Force. The force is “a paramilitary force subordinate to the IRGC that has long been used as shock troops by the regime to oppress domestic opposition with brutal displays of violence, while also recruiting, training and deploying fighters in IRGC-fuelled conflicts across the region". “The TFTC’s co-ordinated disruption of the financial networks used by the Iranian regime to fund terrorism is a powerful demonstration of Gulf unity," US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said. "This action demonstrates the unified position of the Gulf nations and the United States that Iran will not be allowed to escalate its malign activity in the region.”

Iraq

Asharq Al-Awsat: Baghdad To Prosecute Iraqis Who Committed Terror Crimes In Iraq <[link removed]>

“Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim said on Thursday that Iraq’s judiciary is committed to prosecuting Iraqi terrorists and foreigners who committed crimes in the country. However, he said Baghdad is not prepared to put foreign militants who fought with ISIS in Syria on trial for crimes committed against non-Iraqis. “We take responsibility for our own citizens, their wives and children,” the minister said in a television interview with the Dutch Media Network and the NRC newspaper. “European countries such as the Netherlands should take responsibility for their own nationals. That is what we advise these countries,” Hakim explained. He also pointed out that Iraq is not allowed to take to trial people for offenses committed in countries other than Iraq. Several European countries including France, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Norway have been working on having their nationals, convinced on terror charges, put to trial in Iraq without taking them back into Europe. However, Hakim said: "Iraqi justice does not allow this.” The minister stressed the importance of continuing international efforts in fighting terrorism, cutting off its funding, holding terrorists accountable for their crimes, and reaffirming Iraq’s keenness to bring to justice victims of terrorism.”

Kurdistan 24: Multiple Casualties In Clashes Involving ISIS Remnants In Iraq <[link removed]>

“Clashes with and air raids against Islamic State insurgents in Iraq on Thursday resulted in the deaths of at least three members and the destruction of a hideout of the terrorist organization in two different parts of the country. Earlier in the day, sleeper cells of the group attacked an Iraqi security checkpoint outside the capital of Baghdad, a statement by the country’s military communications center said. The attack resulted in the death of one member of the security forces and injured five others. “During this confrontation, two IEDs exploded, killing one associate and injuring five others,” the Security Media Cell said. Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militias, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), said the same day, they killed three alleged Islamic State fighters in an “ambush.” The operation reportedly took place in the disputed Kirkuk Province, in a rural area known as Tel Gul, roughly 210 kilometers north of the capital. On the same day, the international anti-Islamic State coalition carried out an air raid on tunnels in the Nineveh “deserts,” the ministry of defense said. The number of casualties from this operation was not immediately apparent.”

Turkey

The New York Times: Turkey Wants Refugees To Move To A ‘Safe Zone.’ It’s A Tough Sell. <[link removed]>

“Syrian refugees in this Turkish border town have been celebrating. Every day, news trickles of advances by Turkish-backed troops in carving out a safe zone in northeastern Syria and opening the way for the refugees to return home. Syrians like Hassan Khalil, 37, one of eight brothers and several cousins who rent a cluster of houses on the edge of Akcakale and survive by working on nearby farms, are impatient to reclaim their homes. “We have been away for five years,” he said. Yet their excitement is tempered with anxiety. In seizing the enclave in Syria, Turkey wrested a piece of territory along its southern border from the Kurds, who had taken control of the area amid the chaos of the war in Syria.”

Afghanistan

Al Jazeera: Afghan Woman Politician Sees Taliban Talks As Only Hope <[link removed]>

“Afghan women have no choice but to hope the Taliban respects their rights for the sake of peace, said Fawzia Koofi, the first woman to lead a political party in Afghanistan. During its rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban imposed a medieval interpretation of Islam on Afghanistan, the question now is how much has it changed. Banned from involvement in politics or speaking publicly, from working, school and leaving their homes without a male relative, women disappeared behind the all-enveloping burqa and the walls of their homes during those five years. But with momentum building behind talks to end decades of conflict, Koofi, whose mission is to ensure women take their rightful place in her country's democracy, is part of the healing process. This year, she took part in the first two rounds of so-called intra-Afghan talks - aimed at bringing together Taliban representatives and Afghans from the government and civil society - to find a way to end decades of war. "There is no other option. Like many other women, I have my concerns, especially when it comes to the Taliban perception of women’s rights," Koofi told Reuters news agency in an interview.”

Xinhua: 11 Militants Killed, Several Villages Liberated During Cleanup Operation In S. Afghanistan <[link removed]>

“A total of 11 militants have been killed in Gizab district of Afghanistan's southern Uruzgan province as cleanup operation has been continuing in the restive area, said an army statement released here on Thursday. Several villages including Taliban main bastion Gharchino have been liberated from the Taliban clutches during the operations, the statement added. Without providing more details, the statement said that the crackdown on the armed insurgents would continue in Gizab district and its vicinity to ensure lasting peace there. Taliban militants who are operational in parts of Uruzgan and in neighboring Zabul and Helmand provinces have not made comments on the report yet.”

Pakistan

Radio Free Europe: Pakistani Islamists Converge On Islamabad, Urge PM To Resign <[link removed]>

“Thousands of members of a radical Islamist party have camped out in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, calling for Prime Minister Imran Khan's resignation over economic hardships. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, began the so-called Azadi March from the southern city of Karachi on October 27. Demonstrators traveled on buses, bikes, and private cars to gather in Islamabad by late evening on October 31 for the anti-government protest. Authorities have deployed police, paramilitary forces, and placed shipping containers on key roads in the capital to prevent the massive march from reaching the Red Zone, where government offices, parliament, and foreign embassies are located. Highways leading into Islamabad that are usually clogged by traffic were deserted on the morning of November 1. All school were closed in the capital and in the nearby city of Rawalpindi on November 1. Before the start of the march, the ruling party and opposition parties reached an agreement to allow the anti-government march as long as they protesters do not cross the Red Zone. Khan, who came to power last year, has refused to quit, despite a rise in inflation and living costs.”

Lebanon

Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. Withholding $105 Million In Security Aid For Lebanon – Sources <[link removed]>

“U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is withholding $105 million in security aid for Lebanon, two U.S. officials said on Thursday, two days after the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. The State Department told Congress on Thursday that the White House budget office and National Security Council had decided to withhold the foreign military assistance, the two officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The officials did not say why the aid was blocked. One of the sources said the State Department did not give Congress a reason for the decision. The State Department declined to comment.”

Al Jazeera: Lebanon: Eyes on Hezbollah, allies after Hariri resignation <[link removed]>

“With the recent resignation of now-caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri amid unprecedented protests, Lebanon is entering a phase of political wrangling in which Hezbollah and its allies will be decisive. Hariri resigned on Tuesday, saying he was responding to the will of the Lebanese people who for 13 days had taken to the streets in massive protests calling for the end of the country's confessional political system and for corrupt politicians to be held accountable. Protesters want the caretaker government to be replaced with a cabinet of independent experts who can lead Lebanon out of a deepening financial crisis, secure basic services such as electricity and water, and create a new, non-sectarian electoral law. Though most who have taken to the streets do not want to see a return of Hariri, the 49-year-old remains the most likely candidate to lead the next government due to support among a number of political groups and much of the international community. And while he saw the size of his parliamentary bloc reduced by about a third in last year's polls, Hariri is still the single most-popular politician among Lebanon's Sunnis - important in a country where the prime minister must be Sunni, the speaker of parliament Shia and the president a Maronite Christian.”

Middle East

ABC News: Yemeni rebels Claim They Have Shot Down A US-Made Drone <[link removed]>

“Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they shot down a U.S.-made drone on Friday along the border with Saudi Arabia, according to a statement by the group's spokesman. The Shiite rebels, who overran Yemen's northern parts and the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, have been fighting a Saudi-led and U.S.-backed military coalition since 2015. In recent months, they have shot down at least two American drones. The spokesman for the Houthis, Brig. Gen. Yehia Sarea, tweeted that a spy plane known as ScanEagle was conducting "espionage and hostile operations" near the southern Saudi province of Asir when the rebels' brought it down. However, he did not provide any photographs or footage to corroborate the claim.”

The Hill: Baghdadi And Bin Laden Provide Lessons On Turkey And Pakistan <[link removed]>

“Just as it did with the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011, the U.S. had to act alone to eliminate terror mastermind Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Despite a U.S.-led, 80-member Global Coalition that has been fighting ISIS, when it came down to killing the ISIS leader it was Washington and American special operations forces who did the job. Unlike bin Laden, who declared war on America in 1996, Baghdadi’s crimes were focused more on Iraq and Syria, though his Islamic State empire became a global threat spreading from Sri Lanka to Nigeria. In both cases, the U.S. faced challenges in dealing with Turkey and Pakistan, two key states on the borders of Syria and Afghanistan, respectively, where the U.S. has been fighting terrorist groups.”

Global News: After ISIS Leader’s Death, Who Is The World’s Most Wanted Terrorist? <[link removed]>

“He is an old man and his videos are tedious, but with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dead, he has become the undisputed leader of global jihad and the world’s most wanted terrorist. An Egyptian with a white beard and oversized reading glasses, Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is now the only terrorist with a US$25-million reward on his head. Although ISIS emerged from Al Qaeda, Zawahiri and Baghdadi were rivals, both competing for dominance of the global jihadist movement. But Baghdadi’s death in Syria has left Zawahiri the last one standing. Experts suspect Zawahiri will try to exploit Baghdadi’s demise to reassert his leadership, as well as Al Qaeda’s position as the torch-bearer of international jihadist violence. “There was already a campaign along those lines going on after the end of ISIS’s territorial campaign,” said Thomas Jocelyn, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies. “I expect Zawahiri to release a message, perhaps conciliatory, calling ISIS jihadis back to Al Qaeda,” said Jocelyn, also senior editor of The Long War Journal.”

The Washington Post: Popular Anger In The Arab World Is Creating An Opening For ISIS — Again <[link removed]>

“President Trump’s desire to dance on the grave of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed on Saturday by U.S. Special Operations forces, is entirely understandable. But his time would be better spent reflecting on the circumstances that facilitated Baghdadi’s rise in the first place — circumstances that are now driving a surge of protests around the Middle East. Around the region, dictators and kleptocrats continue to preside over young and restive societies. Most of these leaders are better at filling prisons than delivering basic services or providing opportunity. As a result, protests are now roiling Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt, and they are threatening to spread further. Without a strategy to address this unrest, the region risks a repeat of the cycle of chaos that brought the Islamic State to power in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab Spring. In Lebanon, the public anger that led to this week’s resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri has been mounting for years. Popular rage has been simmering since a garbage collection scandal in 2015 left the streets teeming with trash. There are daily power cuts in most Lebanese cities, and word on the street is that the electricity contracts are lining the pockets of the prime minister and his foreign minister — who is, not coincidentally, the son-in-law of the president.”

Nigeria

Pulse: Nigeria Lifts Ban On Groups It Accused Of Feeding Boko Haram Terrorists <[link removed]>

“The federal government of Nigeria has lifted a ban on the operations of two prominent international aid groups. The aid groups are Action Against Hunger and Mercy Corps, who have been dispensing humanitarian support to displaced persons in Nigeria’s restive northeast region. The government had accused the groups of providing food and medicines to members of the Boko Haram terrorist sect. The shutdown: On Wednesday, September 25, 2019, Mercy Corps announced that it was suspending its operations in Nigeria because the Army had shut down its offices in Borno and Yobe states without an official explanation.”

Bloomberg: Nigeria Asks U.S. To Help Fund Infrastructure, Terror Fight <[link removed]>

“Nigeria asked the U.S. to help fund power and other infrastructure projects and the fight against an Islamist insurgency, the West African nation’s presidency said. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari met U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at a conference in Riyadh Wednesday and discussed increased funding, the presidency said in a statement emailed Thursday from the capital, Abuja. Nigeria has struggled with crippling electricity shortages for decades despite its potential to generate 12,522 megawatts of power from existing plants, but only generates a third of that. The funding will help the West African nation of nearly 200 million people “address current challenges confronting her power sector as well as general upgrade of infrastructure,” presidency spokesman Garba Shehu said in the statement. Buhari is also exploring areas of strengthening Nigeria’s ongoing collaboration with the U.S. on stopping terrorist financing, the presidency said.”

United Kingdom

BBC News: Manchester Terror Suspects Found With Fake Police Outfit <[link removed]>

“Two men arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences had a replica police uniform in their car, police have said. The men, aged 57 and 22, were held in Manchester city centre on Wednesday and their car was searched. Greater Manchester Police said it was now satisfied the incident in Deansgate "was not terrorism-related" and the men have been released without charge. A police baton was also discovered during a search of the Range Rover, the force added. A utility belt and further items were found that required assessment by bomb disposal officers, but police said they "represented no danger to the public". A police spokesman said the men were "initially uncooperative at the scene and failed to provide a reasonable explanation for their behaviour". Police later searched a property on Stream Terrace in Offerton as part of the investigation. Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey said: "Currently, police are treating this as irresponsible behaviour that has quite rightly been reported as suspicious by members of the public. "Inquiries as to whether any non-terror-related criminal offences were committed remain ongoing."

France

The New York Times: How ISIS Changed France <[link removed]>

“The death of the Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was met this week with no outpouring of joy or even relief in France, even though this is the European country that suffered most from his depredations. The reason is simple: the Islamic State’s crimes, and the fear they instilled in the national psyche, are so ingrained in France that the daily fabric of life has been inexorably altered. As if proof were needed, within the last month, a former far-right candidate shot two Muslims who stopped him from burning down a mosque. A Muslim mother was reprimanded by an official for wearing a head scarf. And President Emmanuel Macron called for a “society of vigilance” after a Muslim employee at Police Headquarters in Paris killed four officers in a knife attack. These recent symptoms of what some call an ongoing trauma for France demonstrate why Mr. al-Baghdadi’s death was ‘‘no more than a step,” as Mr. Macron put it Sunday in a muted reaction to the news. The demise of the terrorist leader did nothing to heal the wound that the Islamic State opened in French society with the terrorist attacks of 2015 and 2016. Every day, in the persistent mutual fear and suspicion that exists between France and its large, imperfectly integrated Muslim minority, the wound festers.”

The New York Times: France Strips 7 Police Officers Of Guns After Paris Attack <[link removed]>

“Seven French police officers have been ordered to hand over their weapons and at least one employee has been suspended after security forces were encouraged to report signs of radicalization in their ranks following the fatal knife attack this month at Paris Police Headquarters, the police chief told lawmakers this week. In the attack on Oct. 3, a veteran police employee killed four colleagues before he was fatally shot in the fortresslike building’s courtyard. The killings abruptly reawakened France to the threat of terrorism, and led President Emmanuel Macron to urge a return to a “society of vigilance.” One of the most striking signs of that has been the focus on radicalization within the security forces. Agents have raised more concerns about colleagues’ behavior in the past three weeks than in the previous seven years combined, the police chief, Didier Lallement, told a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday. Mr. Lallement said 33 reports had been generated, leading to the officers’ being stripped of their weapons, and he had recommended two other officers be suspended. No further information on the cases was immediately available. The hearing was called in an effort to find out why the attacker, Mickaël Harpon, a 45-year-old computer technician, had not been singled out earlier as a threat."

The Guardian: Bayonne Mosque Attack Was Terrorism, Says Survivors' Lawyer <[link removed]>

“A lawyer for two men who were injured in an attack on a mosque in south-west France this week has said the case should be treated as terrorism. Méhana Mouhou, who represents two men aged 74 and 78 who were shot when they disturbed the suspect trying to set fire to the mosque in Bayonne, said: “This was a terrorist act.” Claude Sinke, 84, a former far-right supporter, has been charged with attempted murder, arson and gun violence but not terrorism offences. Mouhou said the charges were a “masquerade” and a result of “judiciary ineptitude”, and he has sought a meeting with the state prosecutor to push for the case to be reclassified. He said: “There were preparatory acts in which he observed the mosque. His motives were clear. Everyone in his entourage says he was Islamophobic and racist. There was a gas canister, arms and targeting. So he was perfectly aware of what he was doing.” Sinke, who once stood as a local election candidate for Marine Le Pen’s far-right party Front National (now renamed National Rally), was arrested at his home shortly after the attack on Monday. He was accused of shooting the two men – one in the neck and the other in the chest – and setting fire to a car near the mosque before he fled in his own car. Police said he had admitted the crimes.”

Germany 

The Jerusalem Post: U.S. Ambassador Slams Merkel’s Dismissal Of Iran’s Call To Destroy Israel <[link removed]>

“Richard Grenell, the US government’s most high-profile ambassador, on Wednesday sharply criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government for its blasé dismissal of Iran’s threat to destroy the Jewish state. “Threatening the destruction of Israel is something that should not be dismissed, especially when the threats come from Iranian regime officials who regularly use terrorism as a weapon of intimidation. When someone shows you who they are, believe them,” Grenell, told Fox News. The pro-Israel US ambassador Grenell, who enjoys enormous popularity among German Jews, pro-Israel advocates and Israeli government officials, responded to two Iranian officials who called for the obliteration of Israel in October. Mojtaba Zonnour, chairman of National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in Iran’s Majlis legislature,: “If Israel or America make a mistake, Israel won’t live for longer than 20 or 30 minutes.”

The Straits Times: Court Orders Belgium To Take Back ISIS Militant's Wife And Children From Syria <[link removed]>

“A Brussels court has ordered Belgium to repatriate from Syria within 75 days a woman whose husband fought for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and her children. The 23-year old woman and her two children are awaiting the chance to return to Belgium from the Al-Roj refugee camp in an area of northeastern Syria that is under Kurdish control. The Brussels Court of First Instance said Belgium would start facing a daily fine if the woman was not repatriated in the time it set. The European Union created a common counter-terrorism register in September, hoping to facilitate prosecutions and convictions of suspected militants and people returning home from fighting with ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The move was partly aimed at addressing concerns about the fate of hundreds of EU citizens who fought for ISIS and are now detained in Iraq and Syria. Many of them could return to Europe and not face trial because of a lack of evidence against them, a factor that has contributed to unease in several EU countries over returning fighters. The EU security commissioner, Julian King, told Reuters last month that at least 1,300 EU citizens, more than half children, were held in Syria and Iraq.”

Southeast Asia

Al Jazeera: Sri Lanka Candidate Promises Laws Against Religious 'Extremism' <[link removed]>

“Sri Lanka's governing party presidential candidate has pledged to refocus the country's security policy and introduce tough laws to tackle religious "extremism" and "terrorism". In his election platform on Thursday, Sajith Premadasa identified religious "extremism", illegal drugs and corruption as three issues that require urgent attention. His platform says the new laws will allow better monitoring, investigation and prosecution of religious "extremists", and will provide severe penalties for hate speech and misinformation. "The defence budget will be enhanced to prioritise modernisation of the intelligence agencies, police and security forces in line with the National Security Strategy," the platform said. "Included in the modernisation of the police force will be a fresh policy on promotions that will reflect merit and recognise the value of officers who are dedicated to their duty in pursuing challenging, dangerous and important criminal cases," the document added. A position of national security adviser will be created by law and a Counter Terrorism Center will be established linking all relevant agencies, it said. National security in the aftermath of deadly Easter Sunday bomb attacks has taken prominence in the election campaign as it enters the final two weeks.”

Al Jazeera: Maldives: Trouble In Paradise <[link removed]>

“Munsi was 28 years old when he left his home in the Maldives. He told relatives he was going to Sri Lanka. But when he phoned his mother, Riffath Ahmed Didi, he was calling from a battlefield in Syria. "I asked him, 'Why did you leave your mother and go there?'" she says. It is a question many in the Maldives are struggling to answer, as young men leave to join armed groups. With its sandy beaches and turquoise waters, the Maldives is a magnet for tourists from around the globe. But some young Maldivians say the postcard images are far removed from their daily lives. They speak about a sense of hopelessness, as they struggle to find work. Some become addicted to drugs, making them an easy target for groups like Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS). A 24-year-old former drug addict says he has been approached by recruiters. "They know we are broken and we are trying to find a way to get out of something that has been kind of destroying our lives," he says. Some of his friends who were enticed to go to Syria died fighting for ISIL, he says. "For foreigners, Maldives is a paradise.”



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The Counter Extremism Project - United States
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