Eye on Extremism
November 7, 2019
The
New York Times: Gunmen In Burkina Faso Attack Canadian Mining Company
Convoy, Killing 37
“Gunmen in Burkina Faso killed at least 37 people on Wednesday in
an attack on a convoy carrying employees, suppliers and contractors of
a Canadian mining company, one of the deadliest episodes in a recent
tide of violence that has gripped the West African nation. The mining
company, Semafo, which is based in Montreal, said that five buses
escorted by Burkina Faso’s military were attacked while traveling to
the Boungou mine, an open-pit gold mine in the eastern part of the
country. They were on their way from the city of Fada-Ngourma, about
25 miles away. Lt. Col. Saïdou T.P. Sanou, the governor of the
country’s eastern region, confirmed the death toll in a statement and
said that another 60 people had been wounded, but he offered no
information about the victims’ identities. Recent violence in Burkina
Faso, a nation once known for its relative calm, has forced hundreds
of thousands of people to flee their homes, triggering a sudden
humanitarian crisis. Between Aug. 6 and Sept. 30 alone, international
organizations estimate, at least 26 military personnel were killed and
25 injured in attacks. But attacks in the east and other parts of the
country have, like Wednesday’s attack, gone unclaimed. Some analysts
believe those attacks may be motivated by score settling, ethnic
tension, monetary gain or personal disputes rather than terrorism
driven by ideology or religion.”
CNN:
Wife Of Dead ISIS Leader Baghdadi Captured By Turkey, Erdogan
Says
“Turkey has captured a wife of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced
Wednesday. Erdogan didn't name the woman, and Baghdadi, who died
during a US raid on his compound in northern Syria late last month,
was believed to have had several wives. “The US said that Baghdadi
killed himself in a tunnel and started a serious PR campaign. We
captured his wife but we didn't make a fuss, I'm declaring this for
the first time,” Erdogan said, referring to US President Donald
Trump's televised address in which he revealed details of the raid.
Trump said two of Baghdadi's wives were killed during the operation.
Erdogan's announcement comes a day after Turkey said it had captured
Baghdadi's sister, Rasmiya Awad, in the northern Syrian town of Azaz.
A senior Turkish official shared an image her identity card
exclusively with CNN. Not much is known about Awad, 65, but Ankara
hopes her capture will lead to a wealth of intelligence about the
militant group. She is currently being questioned by authorities.
“This kind of thing is an intelligence gold mine. What she knows about
ISIS can significantly expand our understanding of the group and help
us catch more bad guys,” the Turkish official said.”
ABC
News: New ISIS Leader Is 'A Nobody,' But US Knows 'Almost Nothing'
About Him: Official
“Although the U.S. knows “almost nothing” about the new leader of
ISIS, he is “a nobody,” according to a senior State Department
official, making it difficult for the terror group to rally around
him. Amid the hunt for the new ISIS leader, the U.S. will leave
between 700 and 900 troops in Syria, with the official saying the
“goals and means” of defeating ISIS, ridding Syria of
Iranian-commanded forces, and securing a political transition haven't
changed, despite President Donald Trump's new focus on “taking” oil.
Trump said last Friday that he and his administration “know exactly
who [the new leader] is!” one day after the terror group announced a
new leader under the nom de guerre Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
Al-Hashimi replaces Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the terror chief that
created the group, expanded it to the so-called “caliphate” the size
of Great Britain, and killed himself in an explosion amid a U.S.
special forces raid in late October. U.S. ambassador-at-large for
counterterrorism Nathan Sales said Friday that the administration was
“looking into the leader, his role in the organization, where he came
from.” But the senior official said Wednesday the new leader “appears
to be a nobody. Nobody knows his background.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Iran’s Nuclear Escalation
“President Hassan Rouhani has announced that Iran will violate
restrictions on the Fordow underground nuclear facility starting
Wednesday. President Trump’s detractors will say this proves that
leaving the 2015 nuclear deal was a mistake, but this is one more sign
of the defects in the deal that Europe should be helping the U.S. to
address. In a speech Tuesday the Iranian leader said the regime would
begin injecting gas into the 1,044 centrifuges at Fordow, an open
violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. This follows news
on Monday that Iran is running new and advanced centrifuges, which
shortens its path to a nuclear weapon. The regime already has been
openly violating the deal for months by enriching uranium at higher
concentrations and storing more of it. “When they uphold their
commitments we will cut off the gas,” said Mr. Rouhani. “So it is
possible to reverse this step.” The Iranian strategy has been to
escalate its violations of the deal step by step, hoping to intimidate
Mr. Trump and divide the U.S. from Europe. The strategy worked for a
time, but then Iran attacked Saudi oil fields. German, French and
British leaders responded in a statement that Iran should “accept
negotiation on a long-term framework for its nuclear programme as well
as on issues related to regional security, including its missiles
programme and other means of delivery.”
The
National: Protests In Hezbollah Stronghold Continue Despite
Intimidation
“Standing on top of a truck blasting revolutionary music through
the Lebanese city of Baalbek on Tuesday evening, 36-year-old Adel
Dalati, a school supervisor, screamed encouraging words into a
microphone to the crowd behind him: “You are free people! You are
those that fear no-one! You are the real heroes!” Standing below on
the pavement, a coffee vendor smiled. “My heart grows bigger,
honestly. We have not seen such unity in Lebanon’s history,” said
45-year old Mohamed Hujeiry. Defying attempts by Hezbollah supporters
to intimidate them with violence or indirect pressure, protesters have
continued gathering in Baalbek to demand the ousting of their leaders,
three weeks since a suggested tax increase sparked the country’s
biggest demonstrations in decades in Lebanon. Baalbek, in the south
east of Lebanon, is a Hezbollah stronghold where peddlers sell yellow
t-shirts labelled with the party’s green logo to tourists visiting its
monumental Roman ruins. Giant portraits of the group’s leader, Hassan
Nasrallah, are everywhere. It is also one of the country’s main
poverty pockets, along with Tripoli in the North and Sidon in the
South, where corruption and lack of basic services such as healthcare
and education are more acutely felt than in the rest of the
country.”
The
New York Times: Captives Or Defectors? Taliban Fighters Tell
Conflicting Tales
“They paced aimlessly inside a guarded compound, stepping over
their beard and hair clippings on the ground. Ninety-eight Taliban in
all — fighters as young as 16 and as old as one white-bearded veteran
of 65. They had all laid down their weapons and pledged loyalty to the
Afghan government. But the reasons for that depended on who was
telling the tale — and illuminated some of the complexity of a war in
which side-switching is common. The Afghan military says these Taliban
fighters quit to try to save their lives after Afghan forces retook
three districts from the Taliban during desperate, pitched battles in
the northeastern province of Badakhshan in September. The fighters had
been told by the head of the national intelligence agency in the
province that they were free to return to civilian life if they
renounced the Taliban. But in the compound’s courtyard, some fighters
said they had already been planning to do just that before they were
taken into custody. Some told of conspiring with friends and relatives
from the government to abandon the Taliban even as the battles for the
districts were raging. Others said they had been given no choice but
to surrender at gunpoint, then submitted to having their typical
Taliban style — long hair and beards — trimmed back by a barber. But
they were not speaking freely.”
United States
The
Wall Street Journal: Google Weighs Changes To Political Ad
Policy
“Alphabet Inc. GOOG -0.02% ’s Google is in discussions about
changing its political ad policy, according to people familiar with
the matter, about a week after Facebook Inc. FB -1.43% and Twitter
Inc. TWTR -0.91% publicly diverged on how to handle those ads amid the
spread of misinformation. Google has been holding internal meetings
about changing its political ad policy and is expected to share more
information with employees this week, the people said, though it is
unclear what the changes will be. Some Google employees are
speculating the changes could be related to what type of audience
targeting the company allows ad buyers to place. It’s unclear when
Google would implement any new policy. All of Google’s advertising
policies are uniform across search and YouTube, and any ad policy
change would be reflected across all of its platforms, a Google
spokesperson said.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Mexico Says U.S. Homicides May Have Been Case Of
Mistaken Identity
“Mexican authorities investigating the killing of nine U.S.
citizens on a road in northwestern Mexico said that a shootout between
two rival drug gangs earlier that day might have prompted the attack.
Defense Ministry chief of staff Gen. Homero Mendoza said at a press
conference on Wednesday that an armed confrontation took place early
Monday in Agua Prieta, Sonora, between members of La Línea drug gang
in Chihuahua and Los Salazar gang in Sonora. Agua Prieta is about 100
miles from where gunmen attacked the victims—three women and six
children who were members of a local Mormon community formed by a
breakaway group from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Seven children and a baby survived the massacre. Gen. Mendoza said one
line of investigation is that members of La Línea were trying to keep
members of Los Salazar from entering Chihuahua, and decided to send an
armed cell to the area, leading to the attack on the SUVs. He said the
vehicles were similar to those used by criminal gangs in the region,
possibly explaining a misidentification.”
The
Detroit News: Ypsilanti Engineer Funneled Tech Secrets To Iran, FBI
Says
“The FBI's counterintelligence team has arrested an Ypsilanti
engineer accused of stealing confidential technical data and sending
the information to his brother who is linked to Iran's nuclear weapons
industry. The national security case against Amin Hasanzadeh, an
Iranian military veteran, is outlined in a 14-page criminal complaint
unsealed Wednesday in federal court in Detroit. The complaint
describes a year-long, coordinated plan to steal sensitive,
confidential data about a secret project involving an aerospace
industry supercomputer and alleges Hasanzadeh emailed the data to his
brother in Iran. The full scope of the investigation was unclear
Wednesday and it was unclear whether the technical information
Hasanzadeh is accused of sending to his brother would help Iran
rebuild a nuclear weapons program halted in 2003.”
Chicago
Tribune: Evidence Issues Persist In Case Of Indiana Woman Accused Of
Aiding ISIS
“Several factors could delay or severely complicate the trial of an
Indiana woman charged in federal court with aiding ISIS, attorneys
said Wednesday. The issues were discussed in U.S. District Court Judge
Philip P. Simon’s courtroom in Hammond, in what online records
indicate was the final hearing before the case goes to trial Jan. 6.
Samantha Elhassani, previously of Elkhart, has pleaded not guilty to
conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State group, and
aiding and abetting individuals in providing material support to the
Islamic State group. The government and defense have differed on their
view of Elhassani’s role in the case. Prosecutors argued that
Elhassani knowingly followed her husband, who was interested in
joining ISIS, to Syria, putting her children in danger. The defense
has said that Elhassani was a victim of “domestic violence and
patriarchal abuse” who had to follow the “crazy man” she married, the
Post-Tribune previously reported. On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Thomas
Kirsch confirmed that a plea deal had been discussed with Elhassani’s
lawyer, Thomas Durkin. The charge contained in the plea agreement was
different than what Elhassani is currently charged with, however.”
The
Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia Navy Yard Worker And Accused White
Supremacist Too Dangerous For Bail, Judge Says
“His Facebook pages are littered with photos of him brandishing
guns and knives with captions such as “coming to a synagogue near
you.” He routinely shared disturbing right-wing memes, including one
depicting a bleeding woman hanged for dating outside her race. And
when others online challenged Fred C. Arena, an avowed white
supremacist and internet troll, he boasted of doxxing and haranguing a
former ally until the man “was ready to kill himself.” But the
question before a federal court Wednesday — nearly two weeks after the
former Navy Yard worker was charged with lying to the FBI about his
ties to white nationalist groups — was whether that long record of
racist vitriol and online harassment made him an actual safety risk,
or meant he was just another blowhard with an internet connection and
extremist views. U.S. Magistrate Judge David R. Strawbridge chose the
former and ordered Arena detained without bail until trial. He
credited prosecutors’ depiction of the 41-year-old Salem, N.J.,
resident as a danger to the community and potential witnesses in his
case. “I believe on these facts that there is enough,” he said.”
Syria
France24:
Russia Strikes Kill Six Civilians In Northwest Syria:
Monitor
“Air strikes by regime ally Russia killed six civilians in an
embattled anti-government bastion in northwestern Syria Wednesday, a
Britain-based war monitor said. At least 20 others were also wounded
in the attack in the village of Al-Sahaara in the jihadist-run enclave
of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. At the site of
the strikes, an AFP correspondent saw a rescue worker carry the limp
body of a tiny girl away from the rubble, her clothes blanketed in
fine dust. Bright red blood had gathered around her throat and, under
a crop of dusty hair, her eyes were closed peacefully shut. Another
emergency worker stood with a body bag at his feet, as colleagues in
white hard hats sprayed water onto a building partially pummelled to
grey rubble. Wednesday's strike was the second of its kind in less
than a week, the Observatory said, after a Russian raid on the village
of Jabala on Saturday also killed six civilians, including one
child.”
CNN:
US Believes Reports Turkey Misused US-Supplied Weapons In Syria
Incursion Are 'Credible'
“The US is investigating whether Turkey violated agreements with
Washington about the use of US-provided weapons and equipment,
including whether Ankara improperly transferred US-supplied weapons to
its proxies in Syria, groups that some US officials say may have
committed war crimes as part of the Turkish-led incursion targeting
America's Kurdish allies. "Consistent with our end-use monitoring
agreements, the United States always investigates credible
allegations," Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Carla Gleason told CNN on
Wednesday. A US defense official told CNN that the US government
currently believes the allegations that Turkey has violated end-use
monitoring agreements are "credible," prompting the review. The news
comes as US President Donald Trump confirmed that Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit the White House for a high-profile
meeting that has been opposed by several members of Congress due to
Turkey's attack on the Syrian Kurds.”
Bloomberg:
Syrian Kurds Resume Fight Against Islamic State, Leader
Says
“The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have resumed operations
alongside the global coalition fighting Islamic State, a sign that
ties between the U.S. and the Kurds are mending after Turkey sent
forces across the border to establish a safe zone in northeastern
Syria. The SDF is “resuming its joint program of work” to combat
Islamic State and to secure infrastructure in northeastern Syria,
Kurdish General Mazloum Abdi said on Wednesday on Twitter. The work
will depend on the “current stage and new developments on the ground,”
he said. President Donald Trump was widely criticized last month for
giving the green light to Turkey to launch its military operation
against the Kurdish fighters. The decision was criticized by both
Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress, where Trump’s move was
regarded as the betrayal of a loyal ally and xxxxxx against Islamic
State. Mazloum warned after Turkey’s move that the SDF wouldn’t be
able to fight Islamic State and Turkey at the same time and that his
fighters would be forced to abandon prisons they’ve been guarding that
hold Islamic State prisoners. Separately, James Jeffrey, the U.S.
envoy for Syria engagement and the special envoy to the coalition to
defeat Islamic State will meet senior Turkish leaders and members of
the Syrian opposition in Ankara and Istanbul from Nov. 8-9, the State
Department said on Wednesday.”
The
National: Pledges Of Allegiance To New ISIS Leader Trickle In As Group
Rebounds From Al Baghdadi’s Death
“In the hours and days following the announcement of Abu Ibrahim Al
Quraishi as the new leader of ISIS, ‘wilayats’ or provinces began to
pledge allegiance to him. ‘Wilayats’ or provinces, of the group range
from bands of under one hundred fighters to thousands in areas across
the Middle East and North Africa. The oaths of allegiance, called
Bay’ah, are a continuation of a wider push from ISIS groups to show
cohesion in the wake of complete territory loss in Syria and Iraq in
March said Raffaello Pantucci, a senior associate fellow and the Royal
United Services Institute. “The fact that you saw these things coming
in quite quickly is a reflection of the fact that over the last few
months. Groups have been pledging allegiance around the world to the
organisation, re-pledging their allegiance and saying “the struggle
continues, we know the caliphate has gone but it might come back and
in the meantime the struggle continues and we're loyal to the group”.
At the time of writing, ISIS groups in Pakistan, Somalia, Afghanistan,
Egypt and Yemen had pledged allegiance via photographs and video
released on ISIS channels hosted on encrypted chat app Telegram.”
The
Hill: The Fate Of Vulnerable Refugees As ISIS Evolves
“Over the past month, significant developments have occurred in the
fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The U.S.
decision to withdraw its direct military presence with the Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) in early October, subsequent maneuvers by
Turkey, Russia and Syria to reshape the landscape on the
Turkish-Syrian border, and the death last week of former ISIS leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi will reverberate over the long-term. On November
1, the United Nations secretary general met with Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Syrian refugees and the implementation
of demographic change in northern Syria. These developments will
affect the future trajectory of ISIS in Iraq and Syria and beyond. The
group was born and grown on the battlefield beginning in the aftermath
of the U.S.-led campaign against Iraq in 2003. Despite the death of
al-Baghdadi, many counterterrorism experts predict the group will
recover from the loss — and last week, ISIS confirmed his death and
announced his successor. Beyond the new leader, many ISIS senior
managers are well educated, trained, professional and motivated by an
ideology that exists in a realm where killing innocent people is
acceptable and there is no limit to the brutality of their
tactics.”
Iran
Associated
Press: Iran Injects Gas In New Centrifuges As Atomic Deal
Unravels
“Iran injected uranium gas into centrifuges at its underground
Fordo nuclear complex early Thursday, taking its most-significant step
away from its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran meanwhile
also acknowledged blocking an official from the International Atomic
Energy Agency from visiting its nuclear site at Natanz last week, the
first known case of a United Nations inspector being blocked amid
heightened tensions over its atomic program. Iran’s representative to
the IAEA said Tehran had asked the agency never to send the inspector
again, without elaborating on what happened. These latest steps by
Iran put additional pressure on Europe to offer Tehran a way to sell
its crude oil abroad despite the U.S. sanctions imposed on the country
since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the
nuclear deal over a year ago.”
CBS
News: Iran Takes Most Significant Step Yet Away From Nuclear Deal With
World Powers
“Iran injected uranium gas into centrifuges at its underground
Fordo nuclear complex early Thursday, taking its most-significant step
away from its collapsing 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran
meanwhile also acknowledged blocking an official from the
International Atomic Energy Agency from visiting its nuclear site at
Natanz last week, the first known case of a United Nations inspector
being blocked amid heightened tensions over its atomic program. Iran
then cancelled her accreditation, according to Agence France-Presse.
These latest steps put additional pressure on Europe to offer Tehran a
way to sell its crude oil abroad despite the U.S. sanctions imposed on
the country since President Trump unilaterally withdrew America from
the nuclear deal over a year ago.”
Iraq
Xinhua:
3 IS Militants Killed In Eastern Iraq
“Iraqi security forces Wednesday killed three Islamic State (IS)
militants, including one prominent IS leader, in a military operation
in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a security source said. Based on
intelligence information, Iraqi security forces carried out artillery
shells against an IS hideout in a village, some 60 km north of
Diyala's capital city of Baquba, Alaa Alsady, a police officer from
Diyala province told Xinhua, adding the bombing killed the IS leader
and his two companions. A joint force of the Iraqi army, police and
paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units has been conducting search operations
to track down the remnants in the northeast of the province. The
security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi
security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the
country late in 2017. IS remnants, however, have since melted in urban
areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying
out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and
civilians.”
Turkey
Reuters:
Erdogan Says U.S. Not Fulfilling Syria Deal Ahead Of Trump
Talks
“Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday the United
States was not fulfilling its pledge to remove a Kurdish militia from
a Syrian border region and he will raise the issue when he meets
President Donald Trump next week. A month ago, Turkey launched a
cross-border offensive with Syrian rebels against Kurdish YPG
fighters. After seizing control of a 120-km (75-mile) swathe of
territory, it reached a deal with the United States to keep them out
of that area. Erdogan is set to discuss implementation of the
agreement with Trump in Washington on Nov. 13, after confirming that
the visit would go ahead following a phone call between the leaders
overnight. “While we hold these talks, those who promised us that the
YPG...would withdraw from here within 120 hours have not achieved
this,” he told a news conference, referring to a deadline set in last
month’s agreement. Turkish officials had previously said Erdogan might
call off the U.S. visit in protest at U.S. House of Representatives’
votes to recognize mass killings of Armenians a century ago as
genocide and to seek sanctions on Turkey. After the deal with
Washington, Ankara also reached an agreement with Moscow under which
the YPG was to withdraw to a depth of 30 km along the entirety of the
northeastern Syrian border with Turkey.”
Afghanistan
Yahoo
News: How The Taliban Won America's Nineteen-Year
War
“As a supporter of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, I hoped that
we Afghans—in addition to ridding Afghanistan of the Taliban
menace—would utilize this opportunity to revive our economy, build an
infrastructure, raise our standards of living, and bring an end to
warlordism and the culture of impunity. Despite some important—albeit
fragile—achievements, Afghanistan as a whole hasn’t benefitted the way
it should have from U.S. presence, owing to the collective
incompetence and irresponsibility of the international community and
the Afghans alike. Billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars have been
squandered through contracts and subcontracts by the international
community, and through corruption by Afghan officials, which in turn
became a contributing factor in helping fuel the Taliban insurgency.
Having reorganized themselves, the Taliban by 2006 had launched a
full-fledged insurgency against the United States. As the insurgency
raged on, two worrying trends developed hand-in-hand: first, the
United States continuously increased its troop numbers through 2010,
without managing to uproot the Taliban resistance; second, the Taliban
attacks became more lethal.”
Pakistan
The
Interpreter: The Uncertain Fate Of Islamic State In
Pakistan
“On 26 October, the infamous caliph of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al
Baghdadi, who rose to prominence in 2014 when he announced the
creation of the caliphate of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS),
was killed in Northern Syria. Two days later, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir,
spokesperson and deputy of al-Baghdadi, was killed in a joint raid by
US military and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic forces. Without an
anointed successor for al-Baghdadi, ISIS appointed Abu Ibrahim
al-Hashemi al-Quraishi as its new leader. Al-Baghdadi’s death was
clearly a major setback for Islamic State, but somewhat lost in the
news was how it would affect the terrorist group’s fearsome
capabilities in Pakistan. In 2014 Hafiz Saeed Khan, a Pakistani
national, was chosen by al-Baghdadi to lead Islamic State Khorasan,
the Pakistan and Afghanistan chapter of Islamic State. This group soon
started a ruthless series of terror attacks to sow instability and
delegitimize the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The most
devastating occurred at an election rally on 13 July 2018, when a
teenage suicide bomber detonated himself, killing a pro-government
politician, along with more than 140 people.”
Yemen
Arab
News: Houthi Militants Attack Yemen Government Forces, 8
Killed
“Yemen's Houthi militants staged missile and drone attacks
Wednesday on forces allied with the country's internationally
recognized government in a Red Sea town, killing at least eight
people, including three civilians, and causing large fires, military
officials said. Wadah Dobish, a spokesman for government forces on
Yemen's western coast, told The Associated Press at least four
missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthis struck warehouses used by
the allied force known as the Giants Bridges in the port town of
Mocha. He said their defenses intercepted at least three other
missiles. Dobish said at least three Houthi drones also took part in
the attack, which caused huge explosions and fires that spread to
residential areas. The media arm of the Giants Bridges force posted
footage online showing flames and explosions were heard apparently
from the warehouses. Officials said at least 12 people, mostly
fighters, were wounded in the attacks. A statement from the government
forces on the western coast said the attacks also targeted a refugee
camp and a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in the town. The
medical aid group did not immediately respond to an AP request seeking
a comment.”
Middle East
The
National Interest: How Israel Was Able To Wipe Out A Syrian Missile
Base (With No Losses)
“At 2:30 in the morning on April 13, 2019, around a dozen missiles
tore over the night sky of Hama province, Syria, launched by Israeli
F-16 jets flying over Lebanon. In response, short-range Syrian air
missiles arced into the night sky trailing plumes of fire from their
rocket motors. One or two can be seen exploding mid-air, possibly
having have hit their target. However, as has happened in over 200
other Israeli air strikes on targets in Syria, the defensive fire
proved inadequate. The weapons struck three Syrian targets. The first
was a training base called the “Academy.” A second site was reportedly
a storage facility for surface-to-surface missile launchers located
near the Masyaf National Hospital. Afterward, the pro-Assad Al-Masdar
news agency published a picture of an annihilated M-600 Tishereen
ballistic missile launcher. The M-600 is a Syrian license-manufactured
version of the Iranian Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missile, a type
Tehran has used for missile strikes on targets in Syria, Iraq and
Israel since 2017. The third and hardest hit site was a missile
manufacturing facility belonging to the Syrian Scientific Studies and
Research Center near Masyaf, Syria. The SSSRC is dedicated to
procuring sanctioned chemical weapons and ballistic missile technology
from abroad for Damascus. The gated facility, for which you can see a
satellite photo here, adjoined two compounds believed to house Syrian
and Iranian troops.”
Nigeria
Sahara
Reporters: Boko Haram: North-East Governors Urge Buhari Regime To
Dialogue With Terrorists
“The six governors in North-east Nigeria, a region devastated by
the Boko Haram terrorists have called on the President Muhammadu
Buhari regime and governments at all levels to engage in dialogue with
the insurgents. The governors believed that could allow those who
might want to repent among the terrorists exit the insurgency easily.
In a communique issued at the end of one-day security summit convened
by the inspector general of police held in Maiduguri on Tuesday. The
summit was attended by the six governors of the region, members of the
national assembly, states assemblies, top military personnel, other
security chiefs among others. "That the summit notes with deep sense
of appreciation, the roles and sacrifices of the Nigerian military,
the Nigerian police and other security agencies involved in the fight
against insurgency in the north-east zone and urges them to continue
to do more in the service to their fatherland.”
Africa
Al
Jazeera: Burkina Faso: 37 Killed In Attack On Canadian Mining
Convoy
“Thirty-seven civilians were killed and more than 60 wounded when
gunmen ambushed a convoy transporting workers of Canadian gold miner
Semafo in eastern Burkina Faso, regional authorities said on
Wednesday. The attack is the deadliest in recent years as the military
struggles to contain violence that has overrun parts of Burkina Faso,
located in West Africa. Semafo tightened security last year following
armed incidents near two of its mines in the country. Semafo said in a
statement earlier that the attack on a convoy of five buses with
military escort took place on the road to its Boungou mine in the
eastern region of Est, about 40km (25 miles) from Boungou, and that
there were several fatalities and injuries. The Est governor's office
later gave more details, saying “unidentified armed men laid an ambush
for a convoy transporting Semafo workers”, giving a provisional
civilian death toll of 37 with over 60 wounded. That toll does not
include an unknown number of the security forces who may have been
killed in the attack. The toll was likely to rise as there are a large
number of people still unaccounted for, according to a security
source. Two security sources said the military vehicle leading the
convoy was struck by an IED on a stretch of road where there is no
cellphone network.”
Xinhua:
2 Militants Killed In Northern Algeria
“The Algerian defense ministry said two armed militants were killed
by anti-terror troops on Wednesday in the northern province of Tipaza,
55 km west of the capital Algiers. “During the anti-terror operation
launched on Nov. 3 in the dense forests of the locality of Jebel El
Riacha of Tipaza Province, two terrorists were shot dead on Wednesday
morning,” said a minisntry statement. The two militants carried two
Kalashnikov-type machine guns and a quantity of ammunition, according
to the statement. The security situation in Algeria has remarkably
improved in the last decade compared to the 1990s, despite occasional
reports of clashes between security forces and terrorist groups.”
France
Euro
News: French Firm Lafarge Cleared Of Syria War Crimes Complicity But
Terror Financing Charge Remains
“A French appeal court has thrown out a charge alleging that the
industrial giant Lafarge was guilty of "complicity in crimes against
humanity" over its involvement in Syria. However, the cement
manufacturer remains accused of financing terrorist groups including
ISIS, and violating international sanctions. As well as the company
itself, three former executives also face charges: the ex-CEO Bruno
Lafont, former security director Jean-Claude Veillard, and an
ex-director of Lafarge's Syrian subsidiary, Frédéric Jolibois. Lawyers
for the multinational welcomed the appeal court's ruling on the
complicity charge. "The court recognises that Lafarge has never
participated either closely or from afar in a crime against humanity,"
said their statement. Lafarge – which merged in 2015 with the Swiss
company Holcim – remains suspected of paying nearly 13 million euros
via its Syrian subsidiary to jihadist groups, to keep its operation
going. Present in Syria since 2007, the company stayed on while other
multinationals pulled out amid the country’s descent into civil war in
the aftermath of the “Arab Spring” protests in 2011.”
Al
Jazeera: France Announces Troop Deployment To Burkina
Faso
“Florence Parly, the French minister of armed forces, has announced
her country will be deploying ground troops to the "three borders"
area of Burkina Faso. During a visit to the country's capital,
Ouagadougou, she said on Monday, "the launch of operation 'Bourgou 4'
will be led by Barkhane [France's military operation in the Sahel
region of Africa], but with the eminent contribution of two Burkinabe
companies. The operation will take place in the coming days in the
three border area, which is where there is most need." Sources in
Burkina Faso suggest the operation has already started and is being
carried out at the request of the Burkinabe authorities.”
Europe
Voice
Of America: Auschwitz Survivor Becomes Symbol Of Tensions In
Italy
“An 89-year-old Auschwitz survivor who is a senator-for-life in
Italy unwittingly provoked one of the country’s most intense
confrontations with anti-Semitism since the end of its Fascist
dictatorship during World War II. In response to revelations that she
is subject to 200 social media attacks each day, Liliana Segre called
for the creation of a parliamentary committee to combat hate, racism
and anti-Semitism. Parliament approved her motion, but without votes
from Italy’s right-wing parties. Matteo Salvini’s euroskeptic League
party, Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right Forza Italia and Giorgia
Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy all abstained, in a move that
defied the kind of social consensus that has marked Italian post-war
politics. The vote last week, along with a round of racist chants in a
soccer stadium, focused attention on what observers say is a growing
boldness in anti-Semitic and racist attitudes in Italy, and the role
of politicians in sanctioning them.”
Asia
The
New York Times: ISIS Fighters Attack Outpost In
Tajikistan
“At least 17 people were killed on Wednesday when militants said to
be members of the Islamic State attacked a checkpoint on the
Tajikistan-Uzbekistan border, the Tajik authorities said. The attack
points to the resilience of the Islamic State and its longstanding aim
to spread further into Central Asia from its enclave in Afghanistan.
It comes almost two weeks after the group’s leader, Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, was killed during an American military operation in
northwestern Syria. Western officials had warned that Mr.
al-Baghdadi’s death was likely to lead to retaliatory attacks. Fifteen
assailants were killed in the gun battle in Tajikistan, as were a
Tajik border guard and an employee of the country’s Interior Ministry.
Five militants were captured, the ministry said in a statement. The
Islamic State has not taken responsibility for the clash, which
occurred around 50 miles southwest of the capital, Dushanbe, but the
Interior Ministry said that Tajik officials had learned of the group’s
role during “the investigation and interrogation” of the captured
fighters. “These attackers are probably our own citizens,” said
Umarjon Emomali, a spokesman for the Tajikistan Interior Ministry. The
militants crossed into Tajikistan over the weekend from Kunduz
Province, in northern Afghanistan, Afghan officials said.”
Radio
Free Europe: Attack In Tajikistan Could Have Broad Implications For
Central Asia
“A deadly attack on a Tajik border post reported early on November
6 is disturbing for many reasons, including the fact Tajik officials
are blaming the so-called Islamic State (IS) militant group for the
assault that authorities say left at least two security servicemen and
15 militants dead. The alleged attack has raised alarms across the
southern parts of Central Asia and will no doubt be duly noted by the
Kremlin, where officials have long warned of such a possibility.
Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, is also sure to take notice. Tajik
security officials have given few details about the attack -- just a
few kilometers from Uzbekistan and 60 kilometers west of Dushanbe --
but said in a quickly released statement by the Border Guard Service
that 20 people crossed from the Qala-e Zal district in Afghanistan's
northern Kunduz Province on November 3 into Tajikistan's Qubodiyon
district. The group -- which reportedly included at least one woman,
according to the Interior Ministry -- apparently acquired four
vehicles and drove to the Ishkobod border post in the Rudaki region.
Some of the attackers are said to have acquired five weapons before
they were surrounded after a chase and 15 of them were killed.”
Yahoo
News: 15 Killed In Suspected Rebel Attacks In Thailand's
South
“At least fifteen people were gunned down in an ambush by suspected
Muslim militants in Thailand's violence-wracked south, an army
spokesman said on Wednesday, one of the bloodiest days in the 15-year
insurgency. Thailand's three southernmost provinces have been in the
grip of a conflict that has killed more than 7,000 people, as
Malay-Muslim militants fight for more autonomy from the Thai state.
Despite the high death toll, the highly localised unrest garners few
international headlines. The region is heavily controlled by the
police and the military, with residents and rights groups accusing
them of heavy-handed tactics. Villagers trained and armed by security
forces are also enlisted to monitor remote villages, though they are
rarely targeted by the rebels. This changed late Tuesday when
militants struck two checkpoints in Yala province manned by civilian
defence volunteers, opening fire on them as a group of villagers
stopped to talk, southern army spokesman Pramote Prom-in told AFP. In
the largest death toll in years, “twelve were killed at the scene, two
more (died) at the hospital, and one died this morning”, said Pramote,
adding that five others were injured. The attackers took M-16 rifles
and shotguns from the checkpoints, he said. “These acts were by
militants.”
Australia
The
Sydney Morning Herald: 'High Price To Pay': Australia Urges Nations To
Refuse To Pay Ransoms To Terrorists
“Australia has called for greater co-operation globally to help cut
off millions of dollars flowing to terrorist organisations by
steadfastly refusing to pay ransoms for kidnapped foreign nationals.
Speaking at a No Money for Terror conference in Melbourne yesterday,
Foreign Minister Marise Payne urged international partners to be
resolute in the face of terror tactics, warning no nation could combat
the problem on its own. She said money was like oxygen for terrorist
groups and kidnap for ransom was one way such groups stayed alive. “It
makes no sense for nation-states to fund both sides of the battle:
where we pay with blood to mount ever more complex and risky
counter-terrorism operations, and then we allow terrorists to nourish
their recovery through kidnap for ransom or the other forms of
terrorist financing,” she said. More than $US120 million in kidnap
ransom funds were channelled to terrorist groups between 2004 and
2012, according to a recent United Nations report. The amount has
increased since the rise of Islamic State, which raised $US45 million
from kidnapping between September 2013 and September 2014 alone. In
Africa's Sahel region, kidnapping put an estimated $US89 million in
the coffers of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb between 2013 and
2017.”
Technology
Vice:
An Infamous Neo-Nazi Forum Just Got Doxxed
“It’s no secret that neo-Nazis freely post anonymously all over the
internet, every single day. But a recent leak shows that white
nationalists online can’t always protect their identities. The
metadata of a now-defunct neo-Nazi message board that is considered
the birthplace of several militant organizations—among them the
U.S.-based terror group Atowmaffen Division—was dumped onto the
internet by what appears to be anti-fascist activists. The site,
IronMarch, is widely associated with the rise of the new wave of white
supremacist accelerationst groups advocating for armed insurgency
against society. The site ran from 2011 to 2017 and garnered more than
150,000 posts while active. The dump of its inner workings includes
the login names of its former members and their associated emails and
IP addresses. Although Motherboard could not verify all the contents
of the dump, early record searches match names and details of white
nationalist militants tracked by Motherboard over the course of a
two-year investigation into neo-Nazi terrorism. The dump also matched
internal IronMarch data that Motherboard already accessed.”
New
Strait Times: Unhealthy Content, Extremism Using Social Media Getting
More Attention
“ILLEGAL content in social media from pornography, gambling to fake
news and extreme ideology, is getting more serious attention from
governments either in the East or West. Indonesian Communication and
Information Ministry, for one, has drawn up rules on the penalty for
illegal content through Electronic Systems and Transactions regulation
or the ITE Law. The Tempo portal quoted the ministry's information
technology director general Semuel A. Pangarepan a couple days ago as
saying that the guilty party can be fined between 100 million (RM29,
536) to 500 million rupiah (RM147, 724). Based on the proposed law
which will come into force in 2020 that set the penalty, platforms
such as Facebook and Twitter must block contents that Indonesia
considers illegal such as pornography and gambling. Other contents
that are forbidden are related to immoral acts, discrimination against
races, ethnic groups and religious groups. Apart from a fine, other
penalties could include administrative sanctions and suspension of the
social media's network operations. There is acknowledgement that
social media companies have acted after the authorities voiced
concerns.”
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