Eye on Extremism
November 1, 2019
The
New York Times: ISIS Names New Leader And Confirms Al-Baghdadi’s
Death
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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’
“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'
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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.
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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?
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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'
“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
“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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